Scars of the Past
by Zephyrclaws
Summary: Anko sees a small, blonde boy running past her barstool. When she saves Naruto from the mob, how will their lives change? How will people react to the new Naruto Namikaze? NaruYugi, SasuHina. This story is NOT NaruAnko. She's his mother.
1. A Fierce Guardian

Scars of the Past

Chapter 1: A Fierce Guardian

A/N: I do not write Yuri, or Yaoi. Also, this is NOT NaruAnko. I haven't decided the pairings yet...

I am neither Japanese, nor obscenely rich, and thus do not own Naruto.

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Naruto was having a really, really bad day. To start with, today was October tenth, a day when people seemed to hate him the most. Usually, he'd be chased whenever he ventured out of his apartment, and often he was even beaten by drunken villagers. This year, he'd decided to stay inside until it was over, but that didn't help. They simply came looking for him. He shuddered, as he heard them coming up the stairs; by the sound of their steps, some of them were shinobi. This was bad, very bad. If it were only villagers, the most they could do was beat on him. Ninja however... Fearing for his life, Naruto jumped out of his window, desperate to escape the mob he knew would be breaking down his door soon.

He saw the smoke rising from his apartment, as he ran through the crowd, desperate to put any distance he could between him and his pursuers. Huffing, he slowed to a stop in front of a small restaurant, specializing in dango. There was only one person there, a woman who looked to be somewhere around eighteen. She wore a tan trenchcoat, a tan miniskirt, and when she turned to face him, he could see that her shirt was made of fishnet. She smiled at the goofy-looking boy, and tentatively, he smiled in return. Suddenly, he heard the sound of an angry mob catching up to him. He ran, and on her stool, Anko growled. Naruto ran as fast as his short legs could carry him... right into a dead end. The mob advanced slowly, and he could see that many of them were chuunin. He trembled in fear, seeing the murder in their eyes. He could tell that most of them were drunk; it would take a miracle to save him now.

Almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind, a tan blur leapt over the mob, landing in front of him, a kunai at the ready in her hand. One of the leaders of the mob, a special jonin, demanded, "Get out of our way, snake bitch! We're gonna give the demon what's coming to him!" She hissed, and several large snakes erupted from her sleeve, binding the man and dragging him towards her, until their noses were almost touching. "You wanna say that again, punk?" The terrified man turned white, and fainted. She tossed him aside, and, with her other hand, she lit a flare. "Five... Four..." The mob began running away as they heard this, but they were blocked by a wall of mud. "One." A man was standing on the wall, an ANBU with the codename of Hound. His spiky silver hair stuck out from under his (ANBU) mask. Several of his fellow ANBU joined him on the wall, and they began arresting all who were there. Naruto clung to the back of Anko's leg, trembling, and she attempted to comfort the boy, picking him up, and holding him in her arms. She didn't know much about little kids, but it seemed to work with other parents... Her eyes widened as she considered that idea. Parenthood? She felt for the kid, she really did, but adoption? She wasn't sure she was ready to be anyone's mother.

She looked down to Naruto, a small smile on her face. "Hey kid, mind telling me where you live?" He shook his head sadly. "Bad people burned it." Had the ANBU not been taking away the last of the villagers, she would've gladly set her snakes on them. How could they do this? Were they really that stupid? She sighed. "Tell ya what kid, how about we go see the Hokage. I'm sure he'll want to hear about this." Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, Sarutobi had chosen that moment to check on Naruto with his crystal ball. He smiled as he saw Anko holding the boy protectively. "Perhaps now that she's seen what the boy has been going through, she'll consider..." He chuckled. "I must admit, it's hard to imagine Anko as a mother... But I have a feeling she'll take to the boy, especially considering how similar their backgrounds are..."

Five minutes later, Anko walked into the Third's office, with the blonde four-year old on her back, asleep. She looked nervous, but determined, as if she'd come to a decision on the way there, which, thanks to his crystal ball, he knew she probably had. "Hokage-sama, I would like to request... an adoption form, for Uzumaki Naruto." He smiled at her. "I'm sorry, Anko, but I cannot allow you to adopt him as Naruto Mitarashi." "But why? Surely you don't see him like... like that, do you?!" He held up his hands in a placating guesture. "Calm down, Anko. I said that he could not become Naruto Mitarashi. I never said that you couldn't adopt him at all." Anko was puzzled. "What's the problem with my last name?"

He sighed. "It has nothing to do with you. What I am about to tell you was originally intended to be a secret until the boy came of age, but, seeing as he has a guardian now, I believe that it is alright to reveal this." She nodded, though she was still confused. She already knew about the demon sealed within him; what more could there be? "As his future guardian, you have the right to know... That Uzumaki was his mother's maiden name. His father's name was kept a secret, because there are many relatives of those he killed in the last war who would gladly take their revenge on little Naruto. His real father was Minato Namikaze, my successor." Anko's eyes widened. "Well... that explains a lot..." Sarutobi raised an eyebrow. "How so?" She removed the blonde from her back, and cradled him in her arms.

"It always kinda bothered me when I thought about it; Why this particular child? Mix that with his incredible resemblance to the Fourth and it seems painfully obvious." He smiled. "We probably wouldn't have been able to keep this secret for long, anyway. This village is filled with shinobi, after all, even though most of them are blinded by their hatred for the boy. Someone would've figured it out eventually. I am only glad that he has found someone such as you." She smiled, blushing faintly at his praise. She'd always liked the old man; he'd been the one protecting her, when she finally managed to escape from the Snake Bastard. He smiled in return. "Mitarashi Anko, are you willing to become Namikaze Anko, for Naruto's sake?" She frowned. "Is that even legal?" Sarutobi chuckled. "The last remaining member of a clan is automatically clan head, and thus has the right to accept into the clan anyone he or she deems worthy. In short, so long as Naruto says yes, it's legal." She gently shook the boy awake.

"Hey, kid." He smiled. He said, "Hi, nice lady." She chuckled. "My name is Anko." He grinned. "Mine's Naruto!" He looked over to the Hokage. "Hey, oji-san, what are you doing here? Where is here?" Sarutobi chuckled. "You're in my office, Naruto." His eyes widened. "Oh yeah! I was running, and there were some angry people were chasing me, and Anko-chan saved me! She was so cool!" She smiled. "Thanks kid, but the ANBU took care of most of it." He grinned. "You're still the coolest, Anko-chan." She surprised both of them by giving Naruto a fierce hug. He was shocked into still ness for a moment, but then he hugged her back, smiling. Sarutobi waited until they were done, and then addressed Naruto. "Naruto, I think you'd be interested to know that Anko here wishes to adopt you." Naruto's eyes widened, before he leapt in the air, with a cry of "Awesome!" She smiled at the young boy's antics. The Third continued. "However, this is not possible. You see, Uzumaki was your mother's maiden name." Naruto looked confused, so Anko explained. "That's what her family name was before she married your father." "Oh."

"Anyway, Your father was the head of a very powerful clan, of which you are now the last member." Naruto's face fell. "Just when I thought someone was gonna adopt me..." Anko smiled at him reassuringly. "Cheer up, kid, the old man has a solution." Sarutobi sighed. "I was getting to that. As the last remaining member of the clan, you are the clan head, which mean that you have the right to accept into the clan anyone you find worthy; in a way, you'd be adopting Anko... if you said yes, of course." Naruto's excitement returned. "So tell me, who was my father?" The Third smiled. "You are the son of Kushina Uzumaki... and Minato Namikaze." Naruto's eyes bugged out. Even he knew that name, the name of the legendary Fourth Hokage. He passed out. A few minutes later, he opened his eyes to see Anko standing over him, a worried expression on her face.

"You okay, kid?" He nodded. "Wow... the Fourth Hokage..." He grinned. "I'm gonna be the greatest Hokage ever! Someday, I'll be even better than he was!" His eyes sparkled, and for a moment, Anko was disturbingly reminded of Guy. She smiled at him. "To do that, you're gonna have to train hard every day. Are you sure you can handle that?" He punched the air. "Believe it!" She sweat-dropped. The Hokage interrupted, asking, "Naruto Namikaze, do you accept Anko Mitarashi into the Namikaze clan?" He grinned. "Of course!" He turned to her. "Anko Mitarashi, do you wish to become Anko Namikaze?" She bowed. "Yes, Hokage-sama." He nodded. "It is done." He handed Anko the papers he'd filled out while waiting for her to arrive. She signed, and helped Naruto do the same. He bear-hugged her. "Yay! I finally have a mom!" She smacked him in the back of the head playfully. "I'll take care of you, kid, but don't call me that. It makes me feel old." He grinned. "Okay, mom!" She rolled her eyes, and after getting the key to the Namikaze compound from the Third, she ran along the rooftops to her apartment, Naruto grinning on her back.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the Namikaze compound, Anko's belongings sealed into a storage scroll in her trenchcoat. Unlocking the gate, they entered a winding path, surrounded by trees. They came to a bend in the path, and their eyes widened when they saw their new home. There was a tall, three-story house in the middle, with a few smaller houses flanking it. They were all painted a deep, forest green, and had been covered with grass mats, to look like trees when seen from a distance. Anko leapt to the roof, and pulled off the covering of the central house to reveal an old, Japanese-style roof. She pulled off the coverings of the others as well. As they explored the building, Anko noticed that the place was eerily clean for being abandoned all these years. Minato must've made a seal for that before he left...

They each found a room that they liked; Naruto's was on the top floor, in what used to be a study. There were many windows, and, needless to say, it was packed with jutsu scrolls. Anko's was one floor down; it had a single window, facing the east. The kitchen on the ground floor was well-equipped, though of course the cupboard were empty. There was even a machine especially for making ramen in one corner. After unsealing her stuff in her own room, Anko took Naruto to a nearby dango shop, so they could get to know each other better. Naruto's grip on Anko tightened as they passed the burned-out shell that used to be his apartment, but he said nothing. When they arrived at the shop, they sat in a small table off to the side, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention.

They waited for a few minutes... and then a few more... Finally, Anko got tired of waiting, and used her striking shadow snakes to drag over a waiter. "Are you going to serve us or not?" He paled, but his gaze fell on Naruto, and his expression turned into a sneer. "We don't serve the likes of him." She growled. Just then, the manager walked up. "Ah! Anko-san, our favorite customer!" Then, he noticed the waiter, still bound by snakes, and about to fall over. He sighed. "What did he do?" His eyes drifted to Naruto's 'whiskers'. "Ah." He turned to the man. "You're fired. You know that's not the way we run things here. Get out of my sight." The man rushed away hurriedly, not wanting to be attacked again by the crazy snake lady. The manager apologized, and took their order himself. Anko turned to Naruto. "Hey, kid. You ever had dango?" He looked puzzled. "What's dango?" She smacked her forehead. "We'll have the usual, please." He nodded, and carried their order to the kitchen.

A few minutes later, a waitress came out with their order, 30 sticks of dango apiece. Naruto looked at his, his eyes wide. "Wow, that's a lot of food!" Anko chuckled. "Don't worry, kid. If you can't eat it all, I'll help." Five minutes later, Naruto was on his twenty-fifth stick, and showed no signs of stopping. Anko was on her fifteenth stick, eating a bit more slowly. When they had both finished, Naruto sighed in contentment. "That was good..." Anko nodded. "The wonders of dango." A few seconds later, Naruto's eyelids began to droop, and a minute later, he was fast asleep. Anko paid for their meal, and left for their new home, Naruto on her back.

Two years passed. Naruto and Anko got along well together; Their days together were spent either playing around the house, or going out and playing in the park, though most people called it the forest of death. Every now and then, they'd go to a park that was a bit more public, but all of the children were kept away from them by their parents. Still, they had each other, and they were happy. Word had gotten out that Naruto was really the Fourth's son, so there were some people that treated them nicely, but for the most part, people still acted like he was the plague, and avoided him at all costs.

Anko would often go on missions, and leave Naruto in Kakashi's care; however, she warned him that if Naruto got even a small glimpse of any of Kakashi's Icha Icha books, there'd be hell to pay. He took the warning to heart, and, not wanting to lose his manhood, he bought a safe, and locked them up whenever Naruto wasn't around. He enjoyed playing with the boy; the kid was practically a ball of energy, and often Anko would come back from a mission to find Kakashi laying on the floor, completely worn out, and Naruto riding on the back of one of his larger summons. There were no more attacks, and the two were happy. Anko had finally given in, and allowed Naruto to call her 'mom'. Finally, his first day at the academy came around. "Bye, mom! I'll see you after school!" She smiled. "Go get 'em."

His first day was fairly uneventful; Most kids seemed a little nervous around him, though a few were pretty nice, and there was even an odd group of girls over in a corner, sending him looks he didn't quite understand. He was too young yet to know the irksomeness that is fangirlism. After class, there were a group of them chasing him, and he ducked into a bush to avoid them, only to find someone else already there. The kid had on white shorts, and a dark blue shirt. He raised an eyebrow. "Hello. Are you hiding as well?" A shrieking mass of girls rushed by, upset at having lost their quarry. Naruto nodded, pointing a thumb at the mob. Sasuke chuckled. "My brother warned me about those. He called them fangirls." Naruto smacked himself in the head. "Mom said something about those on my way out, but I wasn't paying attention." Sasuke nodded. "Apparently, they'll go away if you ignore them... Or, at least they should."

Naruto shuddered. "I hope so. By the way, what's your name?" Sasuke stuck out his hand. "Sasuke Uchiha. And you?" Naruto shook it. "Naruto Namikaze." Sasuke's eyes widened. "You don't seem that bad to me..." Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, your parents warned you about me?" Sasuke shook his head. "No, just my father. He's been acting kinda weird lately, though... Anyway, he told me to stay away from you. I wonder why?" Naruto shook his head. "I have no idea. Mom says she'll tell me once I become a genin. She said it's not my fault though..." Sasuke shook his head sadly. "Man, this doesn't make any sense..." Naruto chuckled. "According to my mom, life almost never does. Then she starts ranting about someone she calls 'that Hebi-teme'." Sasuke shrugged. "Wanna be friends?" Naruto grinned. "Hell yeah!"

And that was how their friendship started...

Naruto enjoyed himself at the academy. Sure, the lectures were usually kinda boring, but he didn't wank to let Anko down, so he did his best to pay attention. He and Sasuke got along well, and were constantly tied for the top spot in academics. Naruto took first place in Taijutsu, thanks to his incredible stamina, but lost to Sasuke in Ninjutsu, due to his horrible control. The teachers learned to fear the times between classes, for the two boys were almost always pranking someone; when they ran out of ideas, which wasn't often, they would ask Anko for advice, and sometimes their traps were truly humiliating, though they never actually hurt anyone. Anko liked the dark-haired boy much better than most of his clansmen, and would often invite him to spend the night at the Namikaze house. Naruto and Sasuke were the best of friends, and they were both very open, and kind to their classmates. In time, the other students realized that Naruto was actually a nice guy, and they didn't avoid him so much anymore.

However, their happiness was brought to a sudden end, in their fourth year. Sasuke was about to go to sleep; he was spending the night at Naruto's house, and he was worn out from the massive game of tag they'd played earlier. Anko had joined in, and created around thirty snake clones. He heard his door swing open, and he was surprised to see Anko standing there, a worried expression on her face. "What's wrong, Anko-san?" She hugged him fiercely. "Your family... they're all dead." Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. There was no way... was there? "How?!" She released him, and looked him in the eye, not relishing what she was about to tell him. "Your brother, he... killed them all. Everyone, even your father and mother." Sasuke broke down completely, and Anko held him for an hour or so. Naruto came in; his mom had told him first, and he'd wanted to give her some time to make his best friend feel better. "Sasuke, I... if there's anything I can do..." Sasuke nodded, and wiped his eye. "Just... promise me, that you'll never go away." Naruto held out his fist. "I promise." Sasuke punched it. "Friends forever, right?" Naruto nodded, smiling. "Yeah. Friends forever."

The next day, Naruto and Sasuke skipped class. The Uchiha compound was eerily silent in the morning light; Anbu had already disposed of the bodies, and the whole place smelled faintly of antiseptic. Sasuke retrieved his things from his room; from now on, he'd be living with the Namikazes. This place was no longer a home to anyone, and especially not to him. Perhaps, with time, he'd get over it, and maybe move back, but he didn't want to live alone. He was surprised to see a small scroll on his bed, locked with a blood seal. Biting his thumb, he spread some of his blood on it. He opened it, and was surprised to see a note from his brother, along with two jutsu shown below it. He read the letter first.

"Dearest brother.

How I wish it hadn't come to this. The Uchiha are planning a coup d'etat, a complete takeover of Konoha; you have not been told this because of your age, and your connection to the Namikaze boy. Even as I write this, I have been ordered to stop this from happening; If you are reading this, either they are all dead, or I have failed. Either way, I implore you, do not follow in our father's footsteps. He sought power for the Uchiha clan, simply because he thought they deserved it. Being an Uchiha does not guarantee strength, nor does it give anyone the right to take such strength by destroying others. Please, become strong, not for yourself, but for those you hold dear. I will love you, always. Farewell, little brother.

PS: Below, I have included two of my favorite jutsu; I encourage you to let your friend learn them as well. They are the Shadowclone and the Exploding Shadowclone techniques. Use them well."

Sasuke held the scroll to his chest. Never in his life had he imagined that his father would do something like this, but it did kinda make sense... Sasuke sighed, his heart heavy. Even his mother had been in on it... He rejoined Naruto and Anko in the courtyard, and together, the three of them headed home.

After that day, Sasuke was quieter than before, though he made a more serious effort to make friends, taking his brother's advice to heart. He detached the note on the scroll his brother had given him, saying he'd found it when he was getting his stuff together, which was technically true. The two boys mastered the Shadowclone jutsu midway through their final year, but the exploding version was a bit trickier; they either blew up immediately when summoned, or not at all. They moved all of the scrolls in the Uchiha library to Sasuke's new room in the Namikaze house. It used to be a normal library, smaller than the one Naruto inhabited, but still large enough to fit all of the scrolls. The previous occupants were moved to an empty room, also on the top floor. Sasuke's room was opposite Naruto's, and had as many windows. All the floors in the house were wood, and he loved the feel of it as he got out of bed each morning.

Their last two years at the academy passed fairly uneventfully; Almost everyone in the class liked the boys, and the number of fangirls had not decreased, much to their dismay. Most of them were only minor annoyances, but two of them stood out especially; Sakura Haruno, who chased after Naruto from sunup 'till sundown, and Ino Yamanaka, her best friend, who was after Sasuke. After they passed their test, the two boys sat together, and prayed that they would be on the same team, and that it didn't include any of their fangirls. They groaned simultaneously when they heard that Sakura and Ino had passed. After all of the tests were done, Iruka, their teacher that year, walked to the front of the room, an expectant look on his face. Soon, all was quiet, as the new genin waited to hear their team assignments. "Team seven, you are Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Namikaze," Both boys cheered loudly at this. "and Hinata Hyuga." Sasuke looked to Hinata, and smiled, and her faced turned bright red. Ino and Sakura sent her annoyed looks.

"Come here tomorrow, to meet your jonin sensei. Class dismissed!"

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A/N: So, what do you think? Please, read and review. I still haven't figured out the pairing for this yet, though it probably won't be NaruHina, so any input you have there is appreciated as well. The reason this probably won't be NaruHina is that pretty much all of my other stories I'm working on are NaruHina, and I got tired of it; I want to try something new. One thing: This is most definitely NOT a NaruAnko fic. She is his mother, not his girlfriend.


	2. Secrets

Scars of the Past

Chapter 2: Secrets

A/N: The only difference in the teams is that Sakura got switched for Hinata.

Enjoy!

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Naruto woke in the night, shivering. His mom had said she wasn't feeling too good the night before, and had asked them not to make too much noise, before going to bed. Listening intently, he could hear whimpers, and moans of pain coming from downstairs. He rushed out of his room, and nearly ran into Sasuke. They looked at each other, and nodded. Silently, they crept to Anko's door, and entered her room. They could see her thrashing on her bed, holding her shoulder. When her fingers moved, they saw a weird purple light emanating from between them. Naruto shook her shoulder gently. "Mom, wake up. What's going on?" In an instant, his back was against the wall, a kunai at his throat. Anko stared into his eyes for a few seconds, before lowering the knife she'd hidden under her pillow, and collapsed against him, sobbing. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other. Whoever had done this to her was going to pay. Dearly. This clearly was unnatural, judging by the purple light coming from her shoulder, and it must have been scary as hell; he'd never seen her like this before.

After a minute or two, her sobs quieted. "I'm sorry you two had to see that." Naruto hugged his mom tightly, and Sasuke joined in. "What's wrong, mom?" She sighed. "You remember that Snake Bastard I sometimes talk about?" Naruto nodded. Talking wasn't really the right word for it; he often learned several new swear words during one of her rants. Sasuke paled, having a better grasp of history than his friend. "You mean... Orochimaru, of the Sannin?" Anko cursed viciously at her former sensei. "Yeah, that's the one. I used to be that bastard's apprentice. Before he abandoned me, he gave me this." She shifted her nightshirt, to reveal a small mark that reminded Sasuke strongly of the tomoe of the Sharingan. "This damn seal was supposed to make me stronger, but he screwed it up, so all it does is give me... nightmares." She shuddered. "He can also use it to incapacitate me if he's nearby." Naruto and Sasuke shared a glance. Sannin or no, they would make the man pay, somehow or another. Naruto kissed his mother on the forehead, carrying her back to bed. She smiled weakly at the two boys. They headed back upstairs, to their rooms.

The next morning, Anko looked a little sleepy, but otherwise no worse for the wear. She smiled gently at the two boys, as they all sat down to have breakfast. Naruto paused for a moment, and looked at his mom curiously. "Um... mom? Didn't you say that there was something you were gonna tell me once I became a genin?" Anko sighed. "I was not looking forward to this... but I can't stand to see so many people hate you, and you don't even know why." Naruto nodded. "So, what is it?" Anko bit her lip nervously. "I know you and Sasuke are close, but are you sure you want him to hear this? He might not like you after this, no offense." She turned to Sasuke. "This is some seriously life-changing shit." Naruto looked to Sasuke.

"He's my best friend, and my teammate besides. I'm sure he'll be fine with it." Sasuke nodded. "It can't be that bad, can it?" Anko chuckled. "You have no idea." Sasuke shrugged, and Anko looked to Naruto nervously. "Twelve years ago, on the day you were born, the Third Hokage passed a special decree, forbidding anyone to tell you or anyone of your generation about this; I talked with him, shortly after I adopted you, and convinced him to let me tell you. The truth is... when your dad defeated the Kyuubi all those years ago, he didn't kill it. Such a feat is impossible, for any mortal. Instead, he sealed it within a newborn child... his own son." Naruto's and Sasuke's faces bore identical shocked expressions, and if it weren't for the seriousness of what she'd just told them, Anko would be rolling on the floor laughing. Naruto looked to Sasuke, worry written on the lines of his face. "Are we... still friends?" Sasuke looked impassive, and Naruto was beginning to despair, when he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. "Of course we are, baka! You're still the same person, aren't you?" Naruto sighed in relief. "Alright! Let's go kick some ass! I wonder who our sensei is?" Unheard by them, Anko chuckled evilly as they ran out the door.

After arriving at the Academy, the two boys waited with Hinata for their new sensei. Pretty soon, all of the other fresh genin were gone, and after about an hour the two boys groaned simultaneously as they realized who their sensei must be. They only knew one jonin who was ever this late, and he'd told them himself he was taking on a genin team this year. Even before his clan was murdered, Sasuke hung around the Namikaze house all the time, and he was no stranger to Kakashi's bad habits.

"Wh-what's wrong, Sasuke?" Sasuke sighed. "I know who our sensei is." Naruto nodded. "Kakashi-nii-san is always late to everything. That, and he's always looking in those perverted books of his." Despite Kakashi's best efforts, the boys had managed to pick the lock on his safe, and they'd read the first volume of the Icha-Icha series together, and taken pictures to blackmail him with. Sasuke spoke up. "I wonder what castration is? It must be pretty bad, 'cause Kakashi always turns white when Anko-san threatens him with it." Hinata, having studied medicine, blushed furiously. Sasuke noticed this, and he looked concerned. He put his hand on her forehead. "Do you have a cold or something? You look awfully red." Hinata turned an even deeper shade of crimson, and passed out. Naruto elbowed his best friend. "Hey, I think she likes you."

Sasuke shrugged. "I'd prefer her over those rabid fangirls." Both boys shuddered. Naruto was thoughtful for a moment. "This could be a problem." Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and Naruto held up his hands in surrender. "I don't mean the fact that she likes you, I mean the fact that she's probably gonna be fainting around you all the time. In a mission..." Sasuke nodded. He could see how that would be a bad thing. Naruto looked over at his best friend, a small smile on his face. "How do you feel about her?" Sasuke shrugged. "I don't really know her that well." Naruto sighed. "How troublesome..." On the other side of Konoha, Shikamaru sneezed violently, earning himself a whack in the head from Ino. Hinata awoke, and the three lapsed into a companionable silence. After a few minutes, Naruto had an idea. Nudging Sasuke, he pointed to the door. Sasuke nodded, and Hinata raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Wh-what are you doing?" Both boys got up, and began rigging an elaborate trap on the doorway. "We know Kakashi-nii-san won't ever change his ways, but it's fun to try." Naruto stepped back, admiring their handiwork. Whenever someone opened the door, they would be covered in bright pink chalk dust, slip on the oil poured in front of the door, and hopefully land butt-first on the tacks they'd scattered. Sasuke smirked. "Not one of our more elaborate traps, but it should be enough." They sat down again, with Sasuke sitting between Naruto and Hinata. Hinata poked her fingers together nervously. She'd had a crush on Sasuke ever since his family had died. It took strength to get through something like that and stay sane, and even more to come out of it as lighthearted as he was. She wanted to confess to him, but she didn't want to seem like another fangirl; she knew that both boys hated those. Sasuke saw her staring at her desk, and remembering what Naruto had said earlier, he decided to get to know her better.

"How about we all get to know each other?" Naruto, having noticed Sasuke looking at Hinata, grinned. "That sounds like a great idea! Hey Hinata, wanna go first?" Hinata poked her fingers nervously. "M-me? Okay... Well, um... I like flowers, cinnamon rolls, and relaxing in the family garden. I don't too much like loud noises.... I'm not that strong, but I'll do my best not to let you down..." Sasuke smiled at her gently and she blushed. "I'm sure you'll do fine, Hinata." "Th-thank you, Sasuke-kun." Her face turned crimson, and she covered her mouth when she realized what she'd inadvertently said aloud, but Sasuke didn't notice... at least, he didn't seem to notice. On the inside though, his mind was whirling. Could he have finally found someone that actually liked him, not because he was the last Uchiha, but for who he was? He was lost in his thoughts for a moment, until he felt someone slap him upside the head. "Ow! What was that for?" Naruto smirked. "I called your name like, five times! Besides, consider it payback for this morning." Sasuke sighed. "Alright, guess it's my turn. I like dango, and playing pranks with Naruto. I also like playing tag with Naruto and Anko in the Forest of Death. I don't like fangirls, especially Ino Yamanaka. I also dislike people who hate Anko for who her sensei was, and Naruto for... events beyond his control. I enjoy relaxing in my room, and learning new jutsu with Naruto. I also enjoy watching Anko chasing Kakashi; you wouldn't believe some of the things she's threatened to do to him with her snakes." Naruto piped up. "I would!" Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I know you would, I was talking to Hinata." Naruto grinned cheekily, having succeeded. Hinata blushed furiously.

Sasuke sighed. "Your turn, Naruto." Naruto grinned. "I like training, ramen, and playing pranks with Sasuke. I also like playing tag with Sasuke and my mom. I don't like fangirls, and I don't like people who treat me differently because of who... or what, I am." He paused for a moment. "Oh, yeah. And I really, really don't like that snake bastard, Orochimaru." Sasuke nodded. He said, matter-of-factly, "We're gonna kill him some day." Hinata paled, but as pale as she was already, neither of the two boys noticed. Just then, a certain perverted, and eternally late jonin poked his head in through the window. Noticing the trap in the doorway, he sighed. "Come on, after all this time, did you two think I'd really fall for that?" The boys sweat-dropped. Kakashi eye-smiled. "Meet me up on the roof." The three new genin leapt out the window; Anko had taught the boys tree-walking early on, and Sasuke carried Hinata. She nearly passed out, but she managed to keep herself together for long enough to get off on the roof. Kakashi was already there, waiting for them with his book in his hand. Naruto cleared his throat loudly, and Kakashi quickly hid it in his smut pouch. "Okay, you three, how about we get to know each other better?" Sasuke sighed. "We already did that while we were waiting for you to get here, Kakashi-sensei." Kakashi sweat-dropped. "Okay... I'd still like you to do it again, so I can get to know you better." Naruto opened his mouth, about to argue, but a stern look from Kakashi shut him up.

"Well, then. How about we start with you, Na-" Suddenly, they heard a loud crash, as if someone had fallen on their ass. A few seconds later, Iruka's curses were echoing down the halls, scaring off the few remaining students. Kakashi sighed. "You guys forgot to remove the trap, didn't you?" Both boys sweat-dropped. Iruka burst through the door. His backside was drenched in oil, and pinned with thumbtacks, and neon pink chalk dust covered everything else. "What's the meaning of this!?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, Iruka-sensei." Sasuke pointed at Kakashi. "We actually set the trap for Scarecrow-san, but he came in through the window, and we kinda forgot about it." Iruka twitched. He looked like he was about to unleash his infamous 'giant head jutsu' (Seriously, is he part Akimichi or something?), but Kakashi raised his hands, trying to calm him down. "Don't worry, I'll have them clean it-" This time they heard another 'OW!', and Mizuki came up the stairs, his hair thankfully devoid of chalk dust, but his backside covered in oil and thumbtacks, as well as being neon pink (A/N: the real reason Mizuki hates Naruto, and tried to betray Konoha XD).

A few hours, and a few ruptured eardrums later, Team Seven headed to the Dango stand, where Anko was waiting for them. "So kids, how'd it go? Who's your new teammate?" Naruto pointed a finger at her accusingly. "You knew our sensei was gonna be ero-inu (Pervy Hound), didn't you?" Anko chuckled at his nickname for the scarecrow. "I might've known something about it." Her eyes drifted to Hinata, and she noticed the way the Hyuuga heiress was looking at Sasuke. She grabbed the boy, and gave him a noogie. "So, you've got another one after you? If I were you I'd do something about it. She looks pretty shy." Sasuke wriggled out of her grasp. "Would you stop that? It's really embarrassing." Anko grinned. "Since your mom isn't around, I gotta make sure someone embarrasses you every once in a while. Stop changing the subject though. Have you two kissed yet?" Sasuke's face went beet-red, matching Hinata's perfectly. Naruto sighed, and counted down on his fingers. "3...2..." When he said "1", both keeled over in perfect synch, each falling face-first onto the other.

At this point, they were unconscious, so they didn't know, but Naruto took a picture with the camera he kept in his trenchcoat. Anko watched, chuckling quietly. "Guess that answers that question." She looked at her adopted son, proud of the way he'd turned out. He wore a trenchcoat similar to hers, but forest green, with black trim. His shirt was burnt orange, with a yellow lightningbolt on the front (Hiraishin). His pants were dark grey, and he wore standard black shinobi sandals. From playing, and training outside with his mom and Sasuke whenever he got the chance, he had a healthy tan, and he kept his hair at shoulder-length, letting it drape lightly over his headband. If his coat were white, he'd look almost exactly like his father, and god knows he had enough women chasing after him, before he found Kushina. If she were old enough back then, she admitted, she'd probably have gone after him herself. She smiled at that thought. Someday, he was gonna make some woman very happy... provided she met Anko's standards, of course. She was very protective of her son, as she realized that a person can be hurt in ways far worse than being beaten half to death. She knew that all too well...

A few minutes later, the two woke up, and Hinata ran away quickly, shouting that her father expected her home soon... but her house was the other way. Anko laughed, and received a death glare from Sasuke. Anko stopped the boys before they entered the house. "I have a guest err... waiting, in the living room. I caught him peeping at the hot spring, but I think he could help with your training. He's the Toad Sannin, Jiraiya." Naruto' s eyes widened. "Whoa! That's the guy that taught my father! How'd you catch him?" She grinned evilly. "He was... distracted, so I tied him up with Sen'eijashu (striking shadow snakes), and I knocked him out." Both boys winced. Knowing Anko, it was doubtful Jiraiya would be able to father children anytime soon. She saw their faces, and laughed. "Don't worry, I didn't hurt him... much."

They entered the house to find a still-unconscious Jiraiya on the sofa, a thin trickle of drool escaping his mouth. Anko kicked him in the side. "Wake up, pervert!" He groaned. "Where am I?" He opened his eyes, and saw Naruto leaning over him, concerned. "Minato? Did she kill me?" Naruto grinned, and Jiraiya noticed his 'whiskers'. "Oh. You're his kid, aren't you?" His eyes drifted to Anko, and he tried desperately to run away... only to fall on the floor, his hands and feet still bound. "Gah! Do you have any respect for your elders?" Anko growled. "Sannin or no, the next time I find you peeping on me, I'm gonna stick my foot so far up your ass, I'll have to open your mouth to cut my toenails." Jiraiya paled. "Fine! Just untie me!" Sasuke smirked as Naruto untied the old man. "Anko-san, are you sure he's a Sannin? He doesn't look like much..." Now untied, Jiraiya postured in the retarded way that only he can. "Do you know who you're talking to? I am the great Toad Sage Jiraiya! Master of Senjutsu! Seducer of many women!" At this, Anko slapped him in the back of the head. "Can it, you pervert!" He rubbed his head. "I'm not a pervert!" Anko raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Then what were you doing peeping at the hot springs?" He grinned cheesily. "I'm a Super-Pervert!" Anko punched him, thus knocking him unconscious. Again. Naruto and Sasuke sweat-dropped.

About half an hour later, Jiraiya awoke, rubbing his head. Quickly, he checked the room for the crazy snake lady; he was relieved to find that she wasn't there. He tiptoed to the doorway in an attempt to sneak out, only to find a certain whiskered blond standing on the ceiling in front of the doorway. Jiraiya sighed. "Whadda ya want, kid?" "You trained my father, didn't you?" Jiraiya crossed his arms. "Yeah... Why?" Naruto bit his lip. "Well... I was wondering if you'd tell me about him. All I've got are pictures, and a few stories from mom about his pranks." Jiraiya smiled. "Sure kid... Wait a minute, I thought your mom was dead?" Naruto's face crumpled, and mentally, Jiraiya smacked himself in the forehead. Of course, if he was living with that crazy snake lady, she probably was related to him, or had adopted him. He knew that both of Naruto's parents were the last of their clan, so that only left adoption. "Sorry, kid, I didn't mean to upset you like that." Naruto sighed. "I'm okay." Jiraiya smiled. "I think I'll stick around for a while, if you don't mind." Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!" His face became a bit more serious. "If you're gonna stay here though, it's a good idea to stay on Mom's good side. Otherwise, she'll send her snakes after you. Kakashi-niisan- no, Kakashi-sensei now, got on her bad side one day, and he screamed like a girl when she made one of them go into his pants." He chuckled. "He's never gonna live that down. I have pictures, wanna see?" Jiraiya chuckled. "Some other time, maybe. Right now, I'd really like to get some sleep." Naruto pouted. "Haven't you been sleeping all day?" Jiraiya twitched. "I was knocked out, it's not the same thing. Besides, I have a massive headache." Naruto nodded. "Alright. I guess you can sleep on the couch; we don't have any beds ready..."

The next morning, Naruto and Sasuke met Hinata at the Memorial Stone, waiting for their sensei to arrive. Unknown to them, Jiraiya had decided to tag along. When Kakashi arrived, he glanced swiftly up to the tree Jiraiya was sitting in, but said nothing. Naruto sighed. "Kakashi-sensei, have ou ever been on time for anything?" Kakashi looked to the sky, as if trying to remember, and the three genin sweat-dropped. He shrugged. "Anyway, today, I'll be giving you a test." Hinata poked her fingers together. "A t-test?" He nodded. "That's right. This test is to determine whether or not you become full genin." Naruto twitched. "Aren't we genin already?" Kakashi shrugged. "Okay, let me put it this way. This test is to determine whether or not you deserve to keep the title of 'Ninja'. If you fail, you'll either be sent back to the academy, or quit being ninja altogether." Sasuke smirked. "I guess we'll just have to pass it, then. What's the test?" Kakashi chuckled at the boy's confidence. "This test is many times harder than the standard genin exam. Your objective," He said, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing two silver bells, "is to get these from me. Whoever doesn't get a bell, fails." Hinata poked her fingers together. "But Kakashi-sensei, doesn't that mean that one of us will fail no matter what?" He nodded. "That's correct, Hinata." He walked over to the training posts, activating an alarm clock, and setting it on top of the middle one. "You have until noon. Go!" Immediately, all three vanished into the surrounding trees. Beneath his mask, he smiled. "Well, this should be interesting."

Meanwhile, in the cover of the trees, the three were having a 'team meeting'. Sasuke looked to his teammates. "Obviously, it's a trap. If they wanted to separate us, they wouldn't have put us on the team." Naruto nodded. "He probably was trying to split us up, telling us one would fail no matter what. I think the true goal of the test is teamwork." Hinata sighed. "I wish I were as smart as you guys." Sasuke smiled at her. "It's not that we're smarter than you, it's that we've known him longer. He's always going on about how teamwork is a ninja's most powerful asset, so it's no surprise that a test made by him will be all about it." Hinata nodded. "That makes sense." Naruto punched the air. "Alright, let's go kick the scarecrow's ass, together!" Hinata smiled, and Sasuke nodded. Suddenly, they heard someone clearing their throat behind them. They jumped, and turned to see Kakashi walking towards them, clapping. "Congratulations! You pass! Meet at the Hokage's office at eight tomorrow for our first mission." He vanished in a puff of smoke, and Sasuke smirked. "I knew it." Up in his tree, Jiraiya chuckled quietly.

The headed to their favorite spot for dango, as they knew Anko would be waiting to hear how their first day went. She smiled at them as they approached her table, and Hinata blushed, remembering what had happened the last time she saw Naruto's mom. "H-Hello, Anko-san." Anko grinned at the young genin. "Relax, I'm not going to eat you." They sat down at the table, and Anko looked at them expectantly. "Well, how'd it go? How long did it take you to pass his test?" Naruto grinned. "About a minute... Wait, you knew about the test?" She chuckled. "Of course. He gives the same test every time he takes on a team; if you'd done any research, instead of bouncing around the house like a lunatic on crack all night long, you might've known about it too." Sasuke laughed, and she turned her gaze to him. "You, sir, were no better. I swear, between the two of you, I'll have grey hair before I'm thirty." Hinata giggled, and Sasuke sweat-dropped. She turned back to Naruto. "So, how'd it go?" He rubbed the back of his head. "We figured out the true purpose of the test, and he heard us, so he passed us. It was kinda disappointing, really. We didn't get to do anything." Anko laughed. "Well, congratulations, kids. You're the first ever to pass his test." Naruto's eyes bugged out, Sasuke's eyebrows raised, and Hinata, of course, fainted.

After they woke her up, Hinata left for her home, leaving Anko and her boys at the dango shop. Her face lost its joking expression, though they could still tell she was happy about something. "Sasuke, I have something important to tell you." He perked up, his attention focused completely on the woman he'd come to consider his mother. "Sasuke... I have decided to take you on as my apprentice. Do you accept?" He nodded mutely. She saw Naruto about to protest, but she held up a hand, silencing him. "Someone else has already expressed a wish to take you as their own. Speak of the devil..." Naruto turned to face the direction he was looking at. "I don't see him... All I see is an old pervert... Wait, you mean HE wants to train me?" A joyous expression plastered itself on Naruto's face, and he collapsed. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "He can't be that good, can he?" Anko shook her head. "Oh, he's good alright. He's the one who trained Naruto's father, and you know how powerful the Fourth turned out to be. I have a feeling Naruto might even surpass him." Sasuke grinned. "Well, I know I sure as hell won't let him surpass me. When does training start?"

As the weeks passed them by, the three genin gradually grew stronger. Since Naruto and Sasuke each had their own personal trainer, Kakashi spent most of his time training Hinata, pushing her Taijutsu skills to the limit. When they sparred, she would even beat the boys sometimes, and as her confidence grew, her stutter vanished, and she began to improve rapidly. She learned tree-climbing, and then water-walking, along with her teammates. From Kakashi, she learned the Headhunter jutsu, and she would often use it in their practice sessions, much to the annoyance of her teammates. Naruto learned the Dark Swamp jutsu, and was growing out his hair in preparation for learning the Needle Jizo. Sasuke learned the Fireball jutsu from his clan scrolls; with the control training from Anko he could exhale a massive fireball almost instantly. They were progressing rapidly, and eager to test their skills; however, they were still stuck with D-rank missions. Surprisingly, it was Hinata who spoke up one day, at the Hokage's office...

"Good job, Team Seven. Your next mission is to pull weeds at the client's garden, dig up potatoes, and-" Hinata interrupted him. "Pardon me, Hokage-sama, but aren't these missions way below our skill level? We've been training intensively for the past two months, and these are a waste of our abilities. Could we not get a C-rank mission?" The Third paused for a moment, deliberating. "I suppose. It just so happens that we have a mission that would be perfect for you." He smiled. The client had actually requested this team specifically. However, if they didn't even have the courage to speak up and ask for a better mission, there was no way they were ready for one. He turned to his aide. "Send in the client." The door opened, and an elderly man walked in, accompanied by a kunoichi about their own age. She wore a Cloud headband. They bowed to the Hokage, and he nodded politely. "This man is a delegate from Cloud. You will be escorting him back to his village, and aiding his guard in dealing with bandits, and the like. He smiled at them. "I am Raimaru, and my guard here is Yugito." Yugito inclined her head towards the three. "It is a pleasure to meet you." Her face reddened slightly when she saw Naruto, but Sarutobi was the only one who noticed. Raimaru turned to the door. "We will be leaving the village in an hour."

Team Seven exited as well, and Sarutobi sighed. "You can come out now, Jiraiya." The pervert grinned. No matter how good he was at stealth, he never could hide from his sensei. He saw the worn expression on his master's face, and his grin quickly faded. "You think he'll try something once they get to Cloud?" Sarutobi nodded. "They've been after the Byakugan for years, and I doubt that they'll pass up a chance to take the Sharingan as well. On top of that, if they find out that Naruto is a jinchuriki, and for the Kyuubi, no less... Things could get ugly." Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Why did you send them?" Sarutobi smirked. "If all goes according to plan, we may ourselves acquire a new jinchuriki." Jiraiya nodded. "It was that girl, wasn't it?" Sarutobi nodded. I think so. I want you to go with them, unseen, so that you can help if things get too bad. It's obvious by her over-polite manner that the girl is not treated well; She will most likely jump at the chance to become a Konoha nin." Jiraiya smiled. "The fact that she seems to like my pupil won't hurt, either. Alright, old man, I'll go." With that, the Pervy Sage vanished, and Sarutobirested his forehead on his steepled hands.

"Please be safe..."

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This chapter written under the influence of Linkin Park, Ozzy, The Subdigitals, and several others (I got stuck, what can I say?). Also, the reason he didn't tell them not to eat is because he knows Anko won't let them starve themselves anyway; there's no point in trying. The dango place has tables both inside and outside; Anko usually sits outside. Tell me if you think I made the NaruYugi thing a little too obvious, please.


	3. Sparks Fly

Scars of the Past

Chapter 3: Sparks Fly

A/N: I'm sorry about the mix-up with Hinata and Sakura; I changed the document shortly after I posted it, but I forgot to replace the previous chapter 1 with the new one. Also, the names I use are from the Anime, not the Manga; Thus, if, say, Sasuke were to use the Fireball jutsu, it would be Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu, not Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique. Speaking of which, in the anime at least, Sasuke knew the fireball, it's true, but he hadn't mastered it; when he did it it looked like a flamethrower, and a fairly small one at that, as opposed to the giant ball of fire that Itachi created. Sasuke's now looks like an actual fireball, though still much smaller than Itachi's. Also, I gave them those jutsu on the assumption that defensive/movement jutsu are easier to learn than offensive ones. Besides, Naruto learned the Rasengan in less than a month; compared to that, the Dark Swamp should be nothing.

A/N2:I appreciate the reviews I get, don't get me wrong, but it'd be nice if I got some constructive criticism, so I know what to work on improving.

As usual, I do not own Naruto. Enjoy!

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Naruto practically vibrated on their way to the gate. This was his first time outside of the village, so, naturally, he was excited. He thought about the kunoichi that would be traveling with them, and blushed. She sure was easy on the eyes... He shook his head, trying to rid himself of those thoughts. The Pervy Sage must be wearing off on him... Sasuke was excited as well, though he did a slightly better job of hiding it than Naruto. He'd be able to see new sights, meet new people, and, since they would be relatively isolated on their journey, maybe he and Hinata could... get to know each other better. He smiled. His other teammate was a shy girl, but that's what he liked about her; it was a well-known fact that both boys absolutely hated fangirls. It was nice to have someone who liked him, but respected his privacy. He looked over to her. Her eyebrows were scrunched in thought, and there was a small scowl on her face. "What's wrong?" She started, then blushed. "It's nothing, I... I just have really bad memories of Cloud ninja..." Sasuke nodded. He'd heard about the failed attempt to kidnap her, when she was four; Though it wasn't required reading, it was in their history textbook, and he'd read the whole thing, just in case. Naruto, however, had not, and he was confused. He was about to ask her what she meant, but Sasuke elbowed him in the ribs. He leaned over and whispered "Later." Naruto nodded, and waved to their client as they came in view of the gate. Five minutes later, Kakashi showed up, and they set off for Cloud.

That night, they set up camp, Kakashi and their clients sharing one tent, and everyone else sharing another. Hinata blushed furiously when she saw that Sasuke was in the sleeping bag next to hers, and soon passed out. Sasuke sighed. "We have got to get her to stop doing that..." Naruto nodded. "So, what was it that she was talking about earlier?" Sasuke's expression was a somber one. "Eight years ago, there was a man, a delegate from Cloud. He had come to negotiate a peace treaty between Cloud and Leaf. However, that was not why he was there; his actual mission was to somehow get his hands on a Main Branch Hyuuga, and take him or her back to Cloud, so they could obtain the Byakugan by breeding." Naruto grimaced. "I'm guessing Hinata is the one he tried to kidnap?" Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. Her father killed him before he could get away, though. Cloud demanded his head on a stick, so the Hyuuga gave up Hizashi, Lord Hiashi's identical twin brother. Ever since then, Hinata has been viewed with extreme contempt in the Hyuuga clan, especially by the branch members. If they got to know her though..." He smiled, and Naruto chuckled. "Sounds like you're in love, bro." Sasuke blushed. "Maybe... I think I am." Naruto laughed quietly. "You better make the first move, then. She's gotten a lot more confident recently, but she still faints every time she gets near you. I doubt she'll be able to." Sasuke sighed. "Unfortunately, you're right. I just can't figure out what to say..." Naruto shrugged. "Sleep on it. I'm going to sleep. G'night." Sasuke lay back on his bed, and soon, soft snores filled the tent. Hinata, having awoken a few seconds after she passed out, was red as a tomato. Sasuke liked her? Really?

The next morning, Naruto awoke to the smell of breakfast. He smiled. Stepping out of the tent, He saw the rest of his team waiting for him, along with Raimaru and Yugito. She turned away from him, trying to hide her blush. Sasuke noticed, but said nothing. Naruto finished his food quickly, and they set off for Cloud. On the way, Naruto managed to strike up a conversation with Yugito. "So, what's your village like?" She shrugged. "It's on top of a huge mountain. The air is pretty thin, and the sunrises..." She smiled. Naruto nodded. "What are your friends like?" She bit her lip. "I... don't really have any. I've never really met anyone, aside from my instructors." Naruto saddened, but then he looked to Yugito, a comforting smile on his face. "I know what that's like... kinda. Tell ya what, I'll be your friend!" Her eyes widened, but then she smiled at him gently. "Thanks." He rubbed the back of his head. "No problem!" She bit her lip, and stared at the ground for a bit. Would he still like her, even after he found out about her... tenant? Naruto was smart for once, and didn't push her. He stared into the sky thinking. Would Yugito still want to be friends with him, once she found out about the Kyuubi? As he thought of the beast, it opened its eye, sensing a familiar aura coming from the girl. He thought about warning the boy, but decided against it. The loudmouth probably wouldn't listen to him anyway...

Meanwhile, Sasuke was attempting to get Hinata out of her shell, but every time he got too close, she'd turn red, and he had to back off so as not to make her faint. There were no bandits attacking them that day, and they made good time. As they were setting up camp, Raimaru remarked, "We should reach Cloud tomorrow afternoon if we keep this up." He smiled. "It will feel good to be home." Yugito scowled, but Naruto was the only one to notice. He resolved to ask about it the next day.

When Naruto awoke, he looked over to find Hinata's sleeping bag snuggled up to Sasuke's, and he took a picture. He chuckled. He'd have to get these made into an album soon, they way things were going between those two. He left the tent, and sat with the three adults, enjoying his breakfast. Raimaru's eyes widened at the speed at which Naruto was shoveling food in his mouth, and Kakashi laughed at the look on the diplomat's face. "He does this all the time. He doesn't like to wait for anything, meals included." Naruto wiped his mouth, and glared at Kakashi. "Yeah, and I especially don't like waiting two hours on the training ground for you to show up, Kakashi-sensei!" Kakashi shrugged. "I get lost on the road of life often." Naruto, Raimaru, and Yugito sweat-dropped simultaneously. Just then, Sasuke left the tent, an unconscious Hinata draped over his shoulder. Naruto laughed, and Sasuke sent him a death glare. "If I find out that you had anything to do with that, I will ensure that you die a slow, painful death." Naruto fell to the ground, clutching his sides. "It wasn't me! You did that one all on your own! Or should I say, together? Hahaha!" Sasuke twitched, and Naruto got up and ran, Sasuke shortly behind. Raimaru and Yugito looked to Kakashi questioningly, and he sweat dropped. "Naruto is somewhat of a practical joker, though if I'm right about what happened, it, surprisingly, wasn't his fault this time." Raimaru raised an eyebrow. "What do you think happened?" He looked to the still-unconscious Hinata. Kakashi sighed. "Hinata is easily embarassed, and she faints alot. She also happens to have a crush on Sasuke, a feeling I'm beginning to think is mutual. They probably got rather... close last night, in their sleep, and when Hinata woke up... well, see for yourself."

A few minutes later, Sasuke and Naruto collapsed against each other, exhausted. "I'll" huff, "kill you" huff, "later." Hinata had regained consciousness a few minutes earlier, and, remembering how she'd awoken, fainted again. When everyone finally gathered themselves at the campfire, the sun was just peeking over the horizon. They set off, Kakashi leading the way, Naruto and Sasuke bringing up the rear, and Hinata flanking their client along with Yugito. They could just see the mountain that Cloud was built on in the distance, and the terrain was getting rockier every step they took. They passed two large boulders, and Kakashi took note of the shinobi hiding there. Inwardly, he sighed. There were three of them, two chunin and a jounin. "Everybody, get into a defensive formation!"

The four genin formed a diamond around Raimaru, who, surprisingly, wasn't showing any fear. Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he saw the enemy team detach themselves from the boulder. The jounin smirked at him, kunai at the ready. The three were heavily muscled, and wore the symbol of the Hidden Stone. "Heh, this doesn't look tough. You two, take those brats. I'll handle the monkey." Kakashi twitched. Concealed underground, Jiraiya smirked. "Well, looks like I get to see how my student's doing... or at least hear about it."

Kakashi sighed. "Looks like I'm going to have to be serious on this one. I was hoping to not have to use this, but it looks like I have no choice." He reached to his headband, but he was forced to leap back as the Rock jonin slammed the ground in front of him, opening a deep chasm where the copy-nin had been standing. Standing up, he smirked. "Earth style: Impermanence." Kakashi glared back at him, uncovering his Sharingan as he landed. Sasuke gasped. "How did you get the Sharingan?" Kakashi launched into a series of handseals, his tomoe spinning wildly. "I'll tell you later! this really isn't the time for it!" Naruto tensed as one of the chunin began a chain of handseals. "Earth style: Earth Pillar Prison!" He slammed his hand into the ground, and several stone columns rose from it, surrounding the genin completely, and cutting them off from their sensei. The two Stone-nin melted into the pillars, and an ominous laugh seemed to come from all sides. "Pathetic. You're shaking like leaves!" Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Seriously, is that the best you can come up with? I've heard it said that Stone-nin were dumb, but come on! Shaking like leaves!?" One of the chunin growled. Suddenly, a torso emerged from a pillar right behind him, and the Stone-nin lashed out with his kunai, only to have the chakra points in his arm shut down by Hinata. Before he could retreat into the pillar, she landed a palm strike on his forehead, knocking him out immediately. The other jumped out behind Yugito, his arm hardening. "Earth style: Stone Armor!" He punched, expecting to hit Yugito, but Naruto leapt in front of the attack, and the Cloud kunoichi could hear an audible 'snap' as his collarbone broke. He flew into a pillar, breaking it in two. Yugito grabbed the Stone-nin's arm, and her hand burst into blue flame. The fire consumed the chunin, killing him almost instantly. She ran over to Naruto, who'd passed out from the pain. She could see a fist-shaped mark where the Stone-nin's punch had actually cut into him; it was pulsing faintly with red chakra, and steam was rising from it, the wound sealing itself as she watched. Her eyes widened. Could he be a jinchuriki as well? Inwardly, Raimaru smirked. The reports were true after all...

Kakashi leapt to the side, dodging yet another punch from the stone-nin. "And you're a jonin? Pathetic." The stone-nin twitched. "You're going down, monkey man!" He roared, and charged at Kakashi, fist raised for another strike. Kakashi jumped into the air, sending a Fireball rolling towards his opponent. The stone-nin simply walked through it, his stone armor protecting him from the heat. He smirked. "Is that the best you got, monkey man?" He looked around, but did not see Kakashi. "Oh, so it's a game of hide and seek, is it?" A voice came from below him. "You're an idiot." He felt a sharp tug on his ankle, and then he was neck-deep in the ground. He looked over to where his subordinates had been fighting, only to see the genin emerge with their client from a mass of fallen pillars; all of them were unharmed, save for the blonde, who was draped over the Cloud kunoichi's shoulder. Kakashi squatted, and looked him in the eye. "Who sent you, and why?" The stone-nin smirked. "I ain't telling you a thing." He stuck out his tongue, then slammed his chin on the ground. Blood poured out of his mouth for a few seconds, and he died, his expression frozen in a defiant smirk.

Kakashi made a few handsigns, and the dead jonin's head sank beneath the ground. "We'll camp here, for now." Raimaru shook his head. "We could make it to Cloud by nightfall, why not continue?" Kakashi looked him in the eye. "While it's true we could easily make it to Cloud under normal conditions, Naruto is wounded, and carrying him would slow us down. It's better to wait until morning, and besides, I need to check out his wound to make sure the bones set properly." Yugito gently placed Naruto on the ground. "I can take care of that. I've had medical training." Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but he nodded. "Okay. Hinata, Sasuke, set up camp."

Yugito used a basic scanning jutsu to find out the extent of his injuries, and she winced. The punch had not only broken his collarbone in two places, but dislocated his right arm as well. She also found a small amount of poison in his system. The stone chunin must've covered their fists with it. It didn't look deadly, but it'd take a few days for a normal person to get over it. If her theory was correct, and he was a jinchuriki, then it would only take one night. She gently grasped his arm, and popped it back into its socket. Naruto groaned, but did not wake. Carefully, she bound his shoulder to keep the bones in place. She set him down on top of his sleeping bag, and smiled. He looked so cute when he was sleeping... She blushed. A part of her hoped that he was a jinchuriki; normal ninja just couldn't relate to the loneliness, the fear, the hatred... Sitting back, she began to think. Which biju, if any, lived in Naruto-kun? She knew it couldn't be the two- or eight-tails, as those belonged to Cloud. From the reports she'd heard, it probably wasn't the one-tail either; that Sand genin that was the terror of his village was said to be able to manipulate sand itself, which was a known power of the Shukaku.

She thought back to the history she'd learned in Leaf. If a biju had been sealed inside of him, he would've had to have been incredibly young; if it was one of the more powerful ones, it only could've been sealed in him when he was less than a year old. Then, she remembered a story her guide had told her, and she gasped. He'd told her about the heroic Fourth Hokage and his defeat of the Nine-Tailed Fox... twelve years ago.

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I've discovered a new (to me) Anime called Kaze no Stigma; I wrote a large portion of this chapter while listening to the closing theme, which is awesome. It's called Hitori Kiri no Sora.


	4. The Fox and the Kitten

Scars of the Past

Chapter 4: The Fox and the Kitten

A/N: I'm sorry it took this long, but I've been focusing more on writing my own original fic, Kami. Also, if you're wondering why the Nibi hasn't confirmed Naruto's status, I do have an explanation. In Japanese myth, once a fox gains nine tails, it gains the power of 'unlimited vision'. I'm assuming this would include the ability to see chakra, and thus discern demonic chakra from normal chakra. The Nibi, not having nine tails, would not have this power.

* * *

Yugito left the tent, her eyes wide. All throughout the trip, Naruto had been a constant source of positive energy for her. Could it really be possible for someone who was a jinchuriki to be so... happy? Her admiration for the boy increased considerably. If he'd grown up in a way even remotely similar to her, it was miracle that he was still sane, let alone positive. The fact that the Kyuubi destroyed a large portion of Leaf before it was sealed couldn't have helped matters, either. For someone to come out of that like he did... he must be very strong, or else he'd befriended the Kyuubi as she'd befriended the Nibi. Somehow, she doubted it was the latter, as the Kyuubi had a reputation for being the most bloodthirsty of all the Biju. She wasn't even sure he was a jinchuriki... and there was only one person who would know that sort of information, besides Naruto himself; Somehow, she got the feeling that he wouldn't appreciate her asking him if he had a demon sealed in his gut.

Kakashi sighed. It'd been a long day, and he just wanted to get to sleep. He'd told Sasuke that he'd tell them all the story about how he got his Sharingan when the mission was over; they couldn't afford to be distracted by something like that while on-duty. He heard footsteps coming closer to him, and he rolled his eye. "Sasuke, I said I'll tell you about it when the mission is over. Go get some sleep." Yugito smiled. "Hatake-san, there's something I wish to talk to you about." Kakashi turned to face her. "Yeah?" He patted the ground next to him, and she sat. "I know I probably shouldn't be asking this, but... is Naruto a... jinchuriki?"

Kakashi's eye widened. "Why would you think that?" She shook her head. "He heals incredibly fast... I noticed some kind of reddish chakra heal him." Kakashi nodded. "It's a kekkei genkai. It's not very famous, but Naruto is the last of the Namikaze clan, and he carries their bloodline, granting him an incredible rate of healing, as well as vast endurance and chakra capacity. Don't mention it to him though; He would consider it an insult to his pride to suggest that his strength comes from anything more than hard work and determination."

Yugito bit her lip, but said nothing. Inwardly, she sighed. Of course, she couldn't expect Leaf to advertise their jinchuriki, if they had one. If word got out that they posessed the Kyuubi, many of the other nations might join together to eradicate the threat they represented. It was hardly likely that he would've confirmed Naruto's status as a jinchuriki, even if it were true. "Thank you, Hatake-san." Kakashi laid back in his hammock, and mentally, he groaned. She probably hadn't believed a word he'd said... and considering where they were going, if she confirmed that Naruto was a jinchuriki... They'd all be in great danger, alliance be damned.

Yugito glanced at Naruto as she laid down next to him. He hadn't awoken since the Stone chunin knocked him out, but he seemed to be recovering, and expelling the poison at a superhuman rate. She checked his bandages to make sure they were still tied properly, and he opened one eye sleepily. "Yu-Yugito-chan... is that you?" She smiled. "Yeah, it's me." Then, she smacked him in the head. He frowned at her. "Hey, what was that for?" She 'humphed'. "I can take care of myself, you big dummy! You almost got yourself killed!" Underneath them, Jiraiya snickered. Those two were acting like an old married couple. He'd watched the battle, lopsided as it was, and he thought Yugito made a good match for his apprentice. It didn't hurt that she was also a jinchuriki. Naruto raised his hands defensively. "Hey, that's what friends are for." Her frown softened. "Don't do it again, okay?"

Eventually, everyone but Sasuke went to sleep; He'd drawn first watch. He'd tried to convince Kakashi to let them watch in groups of two, but Kakashi denied him. "You and Hinata would probably just end up making out, anyway." At this, Sasuke had done his best impression of a tomato, and by the time he managed to say anything, his sensei was already gone. He sighed. Lookout duty was so boring...

Meanwhile, back in the Hidden Leaf...

Sakura rebandaged her bloody knuckles for what must have been the hundredth time. She winced as the cloth scraped against her raw flesh, but it was nothing to the pain she felt inside. "How could he abandon me?" She wiped the tears from her face. Sighing, she sat against a nearby tree. Ever since they'd been split up into teams, she'd been hoping that, somehow, Naruto would start noticing her, and maybe... well, there was no chance of that, now. It'd been almost a month, and... nothing. Sure, she saw him every now and then, but when she called to him, he acted as if he simply didn't hear her. Even when they were in the Hokage's office receiving missions, he walked out of the door as soon as his was assigned, leaving no time for a discussion. Hugging her knees, she stared off into the forest, alone as she'd ever felt.

Naruto yawned and stretched as he left the tent. He'd slept like a rock last night, relieved from lookout duty because of his injuries. Nudging Sasuke and Hinata awake with his foot, he left the tent to sit by the fire, eagerly eating the cooked rat his sensei handed him. They'd been trained to draw nutrients out of just about anything in the academy; Ninja couldn't afford to be squeamish. Sasuke came out behind him, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, followed by an equally sleepy Hinata. Yugito and Raimaru hadn't gotten up, and Kakashi decided to use that opportunity to speak to his students. "I think that something's up. From my observations of Raimaru, I'm starting to think that this is more than a simple escort mission. Considering Cloud's history with the Hyuuga, I think they may try to hold us, or you three at least."

Hinata spoke up. "I can understand why they'd want me and Sasuke, for our bloodline limits, but why would they want Naruto?" Kakashi turned to Naruto, who sighed. "Because I'm a jinchuriki." Hinata frowned in confusion. "That term sounds familiar..." Her eyes widened as she remembered, and put the pieces together. "You contain the Kyuubi?" Naruto simply nodded. Kakashi froze, as he heard a familiar voice from behind him. "Does he now?" He turned around to see Yugito walking out of the tent she shared with Raimaru. Immediately, Kakashi's eye flickered to the tent, and, answering his unspoken question, Yugito said, "Raimaru is not yet awake."

Kakashi sighed. "Well, then, what are we going to do with you?" Yugito raised an eyebrow. "Nothing, if the treaty Cloud just made with your village is to survive." Kakashi narrowed his eye. "And I'm sure that Cloud will just let a Jinchuriki, guarded only by his sensei and two teammates, walk freely out of their gates." Naruto glowered indignantly. "I can take care of myself, sensei." Kakashi snorted. "Not against an entire village, you can't. Not to mention that, if our intel is correct, they have the Eight-tails' host, who is twice your age, and much more in control of his demon than you are. No, we need to abort this mission." Yugito scowled. "You would abort the mission, and insult the greatest of the Hidden Villages besides Leaf itself, over an assumption of what might happen?" Kakashi turned to face her. "Are you implying that you aren't going to tell your superiors about this?" He pulled up his headband, using his Sharingan to make sure that she wasn't lying. She looked into Naruto's pleading eyes, and nodded silently.

"However, it is likely that, once we get to the village, someone will notice. I suggest that we deliver Raimaru, then run like hell before they can trap us." Kakashi raised a hand in protest. "Us?" Yugito looked him in the eye. "If I assisst you, even if it's just by not telling my superiors about Naruto's... condition, I will be executed." Kakashi shook his head suspiciously. "What reason do you have to betray your village?" Yugito closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they were a brilliant, flaming blue. "Because, Cloud has two jinchuriki." For a moment, no one spoke, or moved. Then, slowly, a smile spread across Naruto's face, and he whispered, "Finally, someone like me..." Yugito smiled at him gently. "Yup." Then, they heard a rustling noise, and everyone turned to the campfire, eating their breakfast as if nothing had happened. Raimaru eyed Yugito suspiciously as he bit into a bite of now-cold rabbit, but said nothing.

They reached Cloud at around noon, and Naruto gawked at the mountain fortress that, unlike most of the other Hidden Villages, was actually hidden; A thick layer of clouds obscured it, which turned out to be a massive Genjutsu, as the clouds disappeared as soon as they entered the gate. An elderly man, who looked by his dress to be a part of Cloud's council, welcomed them. "Welcome to the Hidden Cloud. I trust you'll stay the night before heading out?" By the tone of his voice, this was clearly not a request. Kakashi sighed. "I suppose so." The man smiled, but his eyes were cold. "Excellent! I've already taken the liberty of preparing a place for you to stay." He waved over a young shinobi, who looked to be an early chuunin. "Bob, you show our guests to their quarters. Yugito, report to the Raikage's office for a debriefing." Yugito was disappointed at not being allowed to stay with her companions, but said nothing. Kakashi reached out to her, and she shook his hand. "It's been a pleasure working with you." When she withdrew her hand, she could feel the piece of paper he'd slipped her. She nodded. "Same here. I hope that you have a safe trip home." Kakashi eye-smiled, and she body-flickered to the nearest rooftop, tucking the note into her kunai pouch when she was sure no one was looking. Quickly, she ran across the rooftops to the Raikage's tower.

Yugito sighed as she entered her small apartment. The Raikage was a perceptive man, and she had been hard-pressed not to reveal her secret. Fortunately, it seemed that Killer Bee, the Raikage's lunatic brother, and Eight-tails jinchuriki, had offended someone important; from what she heard, this time it was a close relative of the Daimyou of Lightning. The Raikage had been in a rush to get through her debriefing, and resolve his brother's latest mess. Still, she doubted that she'd fooled him completely; raw power alone did not a Kage make. Taking out the note from her pouch, she read Kakashi's cramped handwriting. The message was simple: "Meet us at the gate. A fireball will be your signal." She allowed some of her tenant's chakra to leak out from her palm, incinerating the note almost immediately.

Kurenai watched her students, her expression concerned. Kiba was antagonizing Shino at every opportunity, and Shino merely ignored him as he leaned against a nearby training post. It was Sakura who troubled her the most, however. Ever since she arrived at the training grounds, about five minutes ago, she'd been attacking her training post furiously, battering it with all of her force. She was almost like a wild animal; the one time Kiba had tried to taunt her, she'd lashed out at him, giving him a black eye, before returning to the training post, beating on it with the same single-minded intensity. Kiba left her alone after that. Sighing, the illusionist dropped down to begin the day's lesson.

The next morning, when Team Seven attempted to leave, they found an eight-man squad of Cloud jonin waiting for them. "I am sorry, Mr. Hatake, but we have orders to not let you leave." Kakashi raised his eyebrow. "Really? And why would that be?" The man smirked. "For bringing a demon into our village. I'm afraid I'll have to take you into custody." Naruto growled. Kakashi slipped into a combat stance, kunai in hand. "Sasuke, now!" Sasuke nodded, having already finished the short chain of handseals required for his signature technique. Inhaling deeply, he spat a ball of fire, pretending to trip as he did so; the fireball went almost straight up, rolling towards the Cloud-nin when it hit the ground. When the smoke cleared, there was a half-dome of earth covering the enemy. As the wall crumbled, their leader smirked. "That was clever, boy, changing the trajectory so that we'd be thrown off. That would have worked against a Genin, and maybe even a particularly slow chuunin, but it won't work on a jonin. He stiffened as he felt a kunai slit his throat. The last words he ever heard were, "Yeah, but this will." Kakashi disappeared back into the earth, out of range of the now-shaken Cloud-nin.

Yugito yawned. She'd been waiting at her window all night, keeping watch for Team Seven's fireball. She jumped up as a reddish glow lit her face; the time had come. She rushed out of her apartment; everything she'd need was already in a storage scroll, in her kunai pouch. Leaping across the rooftops, she prayed that she wouldn't be too late. She could see the gates up ahead, and she arrived just in time for a stray kunai from a Cloud-nin to pierce her gut. She fell down, vomiting blood, and the last thing she saw before losing consciousness was a pair of sapphire eyes turning a deep, bloody crimson.

Naruto erupted with rage, a demonic, one-tailed shroud blazing across his skin. The Cloud-nin paled, and Naruto decapitated one, his red-orange claws lashing out wildly. Before the rest of them could react, he had his fist through another one's gut, and he wrenched it out viciously. The blood that fountained out sizzled when it hit his cloak, and it seemed to enrage him even more. Before he could cause any more carnage, however, a Cloud-nin managed to get behind him and slap a chakra-suppression seal on him. Naruto fell to the ground, panting, but before the Cloud-nin could tie him up, he suddenly reversed his own kunai, and stabbed himself in the throat. He died almost immediately. Kakashi picked Naruto up, and motioned for Sasuke to do the same for Yugito. "Over the walls!" Sasuke nodded, hoisting Yugito on his back.

They managed to escape, singed, but mostly unharmed. They ran at top speed through the treetops, and were able to make it over the border before nightfall. Kakashi sighed. "I suppose it's fortunate for us that the Land of Lightning is right next to the Land of Convieniently-Located Shelter." Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and Kakashi pointed to a nearby tree. "This country is famous for its trees, whose roots raise them off of the ground, creating a space underneath large enough to sleep in; if we find a large enough one, we can all fit." Sasuke pointed. "Look, a convieniently-located shelter." Kakashi rolled his eyes, and turned to look at the forest giant Sasuke had pointed out. Naruto was carrying Yugito, having recovered shortly after Kakashi removed the suppressant seal; He carried her into the cavelike shelter, making sure not to jostle her any more than was absolutely necessary. Kakashi performed a basic medical jutsu to seal up the wound, and left the internal damage to her tenant; if she healed anywhere near as fast as Naruto, she'd be fine in a couple of days, even without medical help. Kakashi kept watch at the entrance, leaving his subordinates to catch up on their sleep; Sasuke and Hinata lay together against one side of the shelter, while Naruto leaned against the other, cradling Yugito's head in his lap. Stroking her hair gently, he passed away the midnight hours in silence.

The next morning, they left the shelter early. Yugito protested feebly when Naruto picked her up, but he only tightened his grip on her legs. Silently, they leaped through the trees, heading for their home as fast as they could. They stopped to rest at around noon, and Yugito untied her headband, gouging a line across it with her kunai. Naruto nodded, and, picking her up again, moved out with the rest of his squad.

They reached the Hidden Leaf just as the sun was setting. The guard raised an eyebrow at seeing Yugito, but, given the condition of the rest of Team Seven, decided not to ask. Kakashi led them to the Hokage's Tower; he was waiting for them, along with Jiraiya. He saw Yugito, and sighed. "I suppose the treaty is void, now." It was not a question. Naruto let Yugito down, though she still leaned against him. The Third turned to her. "I take it you wish to live here, as a kunoichi of the Leaf?" Yugito nodded. Sarutobi sighed. "The council will not like this... well, on second thought, Danzo might. In any case, I cannot allow you into active service right away. Protocol, you understand." Yugito nodded. The Third continued. " If you will consent to let Inoichi Yamanaka, our head of intel, scan your memories, I can assign you as a fourth member of Team Seven." Yugito nodded vigorously. Jiraiya snickered. "Hey kid, if this keeps up, you might be the inspiration for my next novel!" Naruto turned beet-red, and said, "I'm sure mom will love that." Jiraiya paled. "On second thought, maybe not." Sasuke laughed, Hinata blushed, and Yugito simply stood there, a puzzled expression on her face. "Huh?" Naruto smiled, and said, "I'll tell you later."

Sarutobi smiled gently. "Now, then, there is the question of where you will live." Naruto grinned. "If you wanna stay with us, there's plenty of space at our house!" Sasuke smirked. "Yeah, I'm sure you wouldn't mind." Naruto blushed. Yugito nodded. "I'd like that." The Hokage handed her a small stack of forms. "Very well. These are your registration forms. You can turn them in when you come for your 'examination'." Yugito bowed deeply. "Thank you, Lord Hokage. I am forever in your debt." He tipped his hat. "I would suggest that you not reveal your 'condition' openly; I do not know how the villagers will react, but it probably will not be in a favorable manner." Yugito's expression became puzzled. "How did you...?" Jiraiya chuckled. "I was following Team Seven on their mission. No offense, but given the Cloud's history with the Hyuuga..." He pointed a thumb at Hinata. Yugito nodded. Sarutobi dismissed them, and Naruto lead Yugito to their house, followed closely by Sasuke.

Yugito bit her lip, staring up at the enormous mansion before her. She knew that Naruto came from a major clan; the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, was famous throughout all of the Elemental Nations. However, knowing was one thing, and seeing, right in front of you, a house almost as big as the Raikage's tower, was quite another. "I suspected that you were a jinchuriki the day before I found out. In your sensei's excuse, he mentioned that you were the last of your clan. Was that another lie?" Naruto winced, then shook his head. "Yes, and no. I am the only child of the Yellow Flash, but I was adopted. Well, legally, I adopted her, but still." Yugito nodded. "What's she like?" Sasuke grinned. "You're about to find out." With that, he unlocked the gate, and the three stepped through onto the grounds of Clan Namikaze.

Anko was in the living room when they came in. "Hey kid's how'd it-" she paused as she noticed Yugito, who was still leaning against Naruto slightly. "Who's this?" Naruto grinned. "Her name is Yugito. Things got hairy on our mission, and now she doesn't have a place to stay." Anko huffed. "You could've asked me first." Naruto used a subtle transformation to make his eyes larger. Anko sighed. "I must be getting soft... Alright." She frowned at Naruto. "No fair, using the puppy-eyes technique." Naruto grinned at her. "Who was it who said, 'there's no such thing as cheating'? Wasn't it you?" She mock-growled at him. Still laughing, Naruto led Yugito to the top floor. She picked a room next to his, and unpacked the things she'd brought with her. It didn't take long; aside from her furniture, she hadn't owned much in Cloud. She'd brought her clothes, her equipment, and her wakizashi. After putting everything away, she fell onto the bed, falling asleep almost instantly. Anyone watching would have seen her smile in her dreams. "Naruto... thank you."

* * *

I know that, chances are, that's not the actual name of the country that borders Lightning. However, I don't know what the actual name is, so I'm gonna stick with the Land of Conveniently-Located Shelter.

Next time: Runaway! Desolation in the Land of Waves


	5. Rebirth

Scars of the Past

Chapter 5: Rebirth

I know it's been awhile since I updated, and I really don't have an excuse; I just haven't taken the time to simply sit down and write in like, forever. Fortunately, now I have a shiny new laptop, so I can write on the go. I'm not making any promises, but chances are my updates will come at least a little more frequently from now on. This chapter, in particular, is mostly focused on Team Eight.

As usual, I don't own Naruto; If I did, Sasuke would not be such an asshole, and Naruto would get a break every now and then.

Warning: This chapter's gonna be a little bit... brutal. I don't have any real experience with this kind of thing, so I may overdo it a bit; please, bear with me.

By the way, I'm thinking of writing a spinoff from Sakura's point of view, starting after this chapter. Let me know what you think.

* * *

Yugito twitched as something tickled her nose. She tried to brush it off with her hand, only to have whatever it was curl around her arm. Sleepily, she opened her eyes, coming face-to-face with a red-eyed python. She raised an eyebrow, and the python cocked its head to the side in confusion. Strange. Why was this girl not shrieking, or panicking in some other manner? She narrowed her eyes, and the snake decided that this was the perfect time to retreat before it got thrown out the window.

She walked downstairs, smelling... Ramen? Anko was sitting at the table , comforting a very shaken python. Noticing Yugito, she quickly hid him behind her back, smiling at the jinchuriki innocently. Naruto poked his head out from the kitchen, grinning. "Morning Yugito! How'd ya sleep?" Yugito smiled back. "Fine, thanks." A few minutes later, Sasuke came down the stairs, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Raising a hand in greeting, he plopped himself down at the table. Naruto set bowls of ramen down on the table. Yugito raised an eyebrow. "You can cook?" Naruto nodded enthusiasticly. "Yup! Well, kinda... I heard Old Man Ichiraku talking about different ways to make ramen one day, so I decided to try it myself! I've been working on it for a while." He grinned, and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Yugito smiled at him, and picked up her chopsticks. Placing a bundle of noodles in her mouth, her eyes widened. Swallowing, she said, "Naruto! This is incredibly good!" Naruto blushed, and grinned. "Thanks, Yugito-chan." Yugito blushed as well.

Meanwhile, at the Hokage's Tower...

Kurenai bit her lip nervously, as her team entered the tower. She'd been considering asking for a c-rank mission, simply so they could get out of the village; She and Sakura needed to have a talk, and Kurenai had the feeling that this simply wouldn't happen within the Hidden Leaf. However, she wasn't entirely sure they were ready for one. While it was true that Sakura had been training herself into the ground, their teamwork was nonexistent; Sakura would often punch Kiba for being, well... Kiba. Shino... she didn't know what to make of him. He almost always remained silent in their team meetings, though she could tell that he disapproved of the pinkette's treatment of his other teammate. Hopefully she could get a relatively easy one; some were ranked as such simply because they required ninja to leave the village. Tentatively, she knocked on the Third's door.

Sarutobi looked up from his paperwork. "Come in, Kurenai." She opened the door, and motioned for Shino to close it. The Hokage steepled his fingers. "I'm afraid, Kurenai-san, that I have no more D-rank missions for you today." When Kurenai didn't move, he sighed. "I suppose there is something else you wish to ask?" She nodded. "Hokage-sama, I would like to request a C-ranked mission." Kiba punched the air, Sakura' eyes hardened, and Shino simply looked at Sakura before nodding. The Third looked to Iruka, who handed him the mission scroll labeled 'C'. "Very well. If I remember correctly, there is a mission in here that should suit you perfectly." He looked to Iruka again. "Send in the Bridge-Builder, please.

In walked an old man, his spiky grey hair bound by a simple rope. He reeked of booze, and was gesticulating wildly with the bottle of sake in his hand. Kiba had to hold his nose; Akamaru, not having hands, puked. He pointed at the three genin. "You sure these three are ninja? They look like a bunch of brats to me. Especially the one with the pink hair." Simultaneously, Shino and Kiba raised their arms to hold Sakura back. Kurenai glared at Tazuna. " I assure you, my students are more than capable of dealing with any bandits we may encounter. Even if, by chance we should meet an enemy they cannot defeat, I am a jonin, a ninja elite." He shrugged. "Whatever. Meet me at the gates in an hour." Team Eight exited, Sakura mumbling curses under her breath.

Sakura walked down the street slowly, a blank expression on her face. She knew that she should probably be packing, but she couldn't leave the village without at least one glimpse of... him... She fought down her tears, telling herself, "Kunoichi don't cry..." It helped, but only a little. She headed towards Ichiraku's, hoping to find him there. Finally, the red-and-white banner came into view, and she lifted a flap. Sure enough, Naruto was there... but who was that with him? Sitting down, she ordered herself a bowl of diet ramen. Naruto looked over at her, his face flickering with the briefest hint of discomfort. "Hello, Sakura." She nodded, not trusting her mouth. Yugito peered at her from behind Naruto. "Who's this?" Naruto shrugged. "She's an old classmate of mine." Yugito smiled at Sakura. "Nice to meet you! I'm Yugito Nii." Sakura nodded. "Sakura Haruno."

Sakura's eyes widened as she noticed Yugito's headband. "Naruto! You brought a missing-nin into the village!? What were you thinking!?!?" At this point, Sakura was off of her stool, glaring at Yugito. Naruto's eyes hardened. "Sakura. Sit down." Sakura was almost hyperventilating. "B-But you! She! Missing-nin!" Naruto glared at her. "Sit." Reluctantly, she sat down. "Our last mission was to assist her in guarding our client, an envoy from Cloud. When we reached the village, he betrayed us, and Yugito decided to help us, and defect to Leaf." Sakura raised an eyebrow. "But why would she...?" Naruto floundered, trying to think up a plausible excuse, when Yugito declared, "Because I love him." Naruto's jaw dropped, and Sakura simply sat there, a look of utter desolation on her face. Getting up quickly, she ran from the stall, tears running down her face.

Back at Ichiraku's...

For five solid minutes, Naruto simply sat there, gaping. Finally, Yugito got tired of it, and pulled him in, crushing his lips with hers. Eventually, they separated, both blushing madly. "I... I love you too, Yugito-chan." She stood up. "C'mon, we should go. I kinda feel bad, making her cry like that. Did she have her sights on you, or something?" Naruto shuddered. "Fangirl." Yugito raised an eyebrow, then sighed. "I'll go talk to her, make sure she doesn't do something stupid. I'll see you later." She winked at him, and he nearly collapsed. Quickly, she ran off, leaving Naruto standing outside the stand, still red as a tomato.

Yugito ground her teeth in frustration. "What do you mean, she left?" Izumo sighed. "Her team is on a C-rank mission, and they left about five minutes ago." Yugito facepalmed. "Great. Just great." She sighed. "Well, I guess that I just have to hope that her sensei can handle it." Yugito walked away, thinking. The girls must've known she was being followed... but how did she hide so well? For crying out loud, her hair was neon pink! If it weren't for the Nibi augmenting her sense of smell, she wouldn't even have gotten as far as she did. Yugito shook her head. It was out of her hands. Now, where to find Naruto-kun? Grinning ferally, she sped off across the rooftops.

With Team Eight...

Kurenai was starting to get worried. They were almost halfway to Wave, and with the exception of a yip every now and then from Akamaru, and Kiba's replies, their group was entirely silent. The one who worried her the most, however, was Sakura. Throughout the trip, her face had been carefully blank; Kurenai could tell that she was hiding something. Every now and then, her mask would slip, and her eyes would turn... hollow. Almost as if a piece of her soul were missing. Kurenai resolved to have a talk with the girl as soon as they got to the bridge-builder's house.

The Demon brothers smirked. All was going according to plan. Just a few more seconds, and... Now!

Kiba shouted a warning as two gauntleted chuunin leapt out of a puddle of water. Not wasting any time, Kurenai began weaving handseals for a genjutsu, and Shino released his bugs. Quickly, the Demon brothers wrapped their chain around kurenai, attempting to slice her in half; with a small 'poof', she switched with a nearby log, causing a tree branch to fall on Meizu's head. Cursing, he leapt out of the way of a kunai, attempting to rush Tazuna; by a tree growing up around his legs, and then the rest of his body, stopped him short. He felt a sharp impact to the back of his head, and knew no more. Gozu, seeing his brother fall so quickly, fled.

Kurenai tied Meizu to a tree, and then turned to Tazuna, her expression furious. "Remind me, what rank of mission did you apply for? You could have gotten my team killed!" Tazuna raised his hands in apoplogy. "I had no choice." Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "Explain." Tazuna sighed, and began recounting the story of Wave, and its recent takeover by Gato. Predictably, Kiba immediately spoke up. "Alright! Time for some real action!" Kurenai frowned at him sternly. "While his cause is just, you are not yet ready to take on a mission of this caliber. We should retreat to Leaf; Tazuna-san can get a refund there." Tazuna hung his head. "I know I lied, but Wave needs this! If this bridge doesn't get built, we can never escape from Gato's clutches!" Surprisingly, it was Sakura who spoke next. "Kurenai-sensei... Can we at least try to complete he mission? Surely, something like this would boost the Hidden Leaf's reputation." Looking at the girl, Kurenai remembered the reason she'd requested a C-rank. She sighed, and hoped she wouldn't regret what she was about to say. "Alright."

Kurenai had been tense, ever since the Demon Brothers attacked. Currently, they were on a boat, rowed by a nervous-looking villager. At one point in the trip, Tazuna had thanked her for allowing them to continue the mission... Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Save it for someone who cares. We will carry out this mission for the honor of the Hidden Leaf, but I assure you, should anything happen to one of my students, I will trap you in a permanent genjutsu that will make being castrated feel like a warm hug." Tazuna paled after this, and shut up.

Kiba sniffed the air suspiciously. They'd been walking down the path for a few minutes, and he was beginning to pick up on an odd scent. It smelled like old blood, and... perfume? He kicked a rock at Kurenai's foot to get her attatnion, at the same time scratching his nose with two fingers. Kurenai winked at him, and turned her head back around. Suddenly, he heard an odd whistling noise. Realizing what it was, Kiba shouted, "Everybody down!" Quickly, Shino pulled Tazuna to the ground, and everyone else ducked as well. A giant Zanbatou whistled over their heads, embedding itself into a nearby tree. A tall, shirtless man appeared on top of the handle, and they could see, through the bandages he wore wrapped around his face, a large smirk. "Well, kiddies, looks like your luck just ran out. You may have beaten the Demon Brothers, but there's no way in hell you'll be able to take me out." Kurenai's eyes widened as she finally recognized the overlarge sword upon which the man was standing. "Zabuza Momochi, One of the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist." Zabuza gave a short bow. "I'm honored. Now, if you hand over the bridge-builder, I won't have to kill you." Kurenai's eyes narrowed. "Not a chance." Zabuza sighed. "Of course not. Oh, well."

In Zabuza's mind, a plan was hatching. He knew he could beat these leaf-nin, that wasn't what bothered him. No, what bothered him is that Gatou had agreed to his price with no hesitation. The only logical explanation for this was that Gatou was not intending to pay him. He'd have to have a back-up plan, just in case... and that pink-haired genin looked like she'd do perfectly. Capture her, and offer her to Gato as a 'gift'... if he made it look like her chakra was suppressed with a seal, then Gatou would let his guard down, and when he tried to use her, she'd kill him. It was genius. The only problem would be to capture her without killing her... but then again, that's what Haku did best.

Kurenai shouted "Stay back!", and began a series of handseals. Zabuza was much more powerful than she was, and she knew it. If she was to have any hope of surviving this fight, she needed to pull out the big guns. Forming the last handseal, she whispered, "Tree-Binding Death." Zabuza's eyes widened as he felt vines encircling his waist, and then he smirked. Biting down on his lip, he dispelled the illusion with ease. "A Genjutsu specialist, eh? This'll be easier than I thought." Inwardly, Kurenai cursed. 'Dammit, that was one of my best techniques... this guy is tough.' She only had one option left. If this didn't work... As fast as she could she began forming more handseals. Right before she reached the final seal, the Zabuza before her smirked, and dissolved into water. She felt a sharp pain in her neck, and knew no more.

Kiba stared in shock as his sensei collapsed, her head rolling away from her body. Sakura's eyes were wide, and even Shino was visibly upset. Before any of them could react, a pair of senbon flew out from the treetops, catching Sakura in the neck. Swiftly decapitating Tazuna, Zabuza leapt away, carrying Sakura, and leaving behind two shell-shocked genin. Haku spared them a single backwards glance before following his master, his heart heavy.

Sakura awoke in a dark room, her throat incredibly sore. She tried to rub her throat, only to find that her arms were bound to her bed. Tensing her legs, she could tell that they were tied as well. Confused, she shook her head, trying to remember why she was there. 'I remember walking out of Leaf, and then...' Her eyes filled with tears as the details of her sensei's gory death came back to her. She felt sadness at her sensei's passing, frustration for the ease in which she'd been captured, but most of all, she felt guilty. These last few weeks, she'd been avoiding Kurenai at all costs, and she could see how it'd hurt the woman. Now, she couldn't do anything about it. Closing her eyes, she attempted to gather her chakra. Every genin was taught that, if a non-conductive object was injected with enough chakra, it would dissolve. In the Academy, it was one of the first things they were taught, after learning how to gather chakra. Concentrating, she began to flood the chains with her chakra, only to freeze as a needle poked at her still-sore throat. A soft voice spoke out of the darkness. "I would suggest that you not do that. I was assigned to guard you, and while I am here, you shall not escape."

Sakura looked out the window, wondering if her Sensei could see her now. She must look pathetic in Kurenai's eyes. True, Zabuza was a jounin, and Haku was presumably just as powerful, but surely she could've done _something_... right? Shaking her head, she realized the truth. No, she couldn'tve, not as weak as she was. When... no, _if_ she got out of this mess, she would never let this happen again. No matter what, she _had_ to get stronger. For now... well, there wasn't a whole lot she could do. With her arms and legs bound, all she could do was think, or talk to Haku. He was pleasant enough, so long as she didn't ask about why she was there. She'd tried to get information out of him once, and he hadn't talked to her for another hour. The only reason she even knew he was still there was that he would feed her every now and then. At least she had a window. she could tell by watching the sky that it'd been three days since she'd been captured. Idly, she wondered whether or not her teammates had survived.

Kiba slammed his fist into a tree. "Dammit!" Tears leaked from his face. "Kurenai-sensei..." Shino shed a tear as well, looking over the marker they had made for their teacher. They'd found a storage scroll that had come loose when she fell, and sealed her body into it, so that they could bury her properly in the Hidden Leaf.

For the first time in his life, Shino was lost. Until now, he'd relied on logic, and it'd benefitted him, but... no amount of reasoning could explain this... this... _feeling_. Kurenai-sensei had been closer to him than his own parents, helping him whenever he needed advice, teaching them new exercises, such as tree- and water- walking, and encouraging him to open up to his teammates. Now that she was gone, he didn't know what to do. Certainly, after a time, they would be reassigned, hopefully together, but no one could replace his first sensei. He whispered, "You will live in my memory until the day I die." He and Kiba bowed their heads, and then turned away from her grave. Shino started towards the Hidden Leaf, but stopped when he realized that Kiba wasn't following him. Instead, his teammate was headed towards town.

Kiba stopped as he felt his teammate's hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off. "What's the first thing Kurenai-sensei taught us? The first lesson taught to any Leaf genin?" Shino sighed. "While it's true that we were taught to never leave a teammate behind, going after two jounin is suicide. We would have no hope of rescuing her." Kiba growled in frustration. "I know that! I don't care!" Shino shook his head. "She might even be out of the country by now. Any jounin worth the title would know how to erase their scent." Kiba punched another tree. "Dammit..." Shino sighed. "I know how you feel, but if we are to have any hope of rescuing Sakura, we need reinforcements from the Hidden Leaf." Kiba growled, but turned around, following Shino home. "You might have been a total bitch at times, but you're still my teammate, and I _will_ rescue you, Sakura." Shino shook his head. "No, Kiba, _we_ will." Kiba nodded, and the genin leapt to the trees, headed for home.

Sakura tensed as she heard the door open, and Zabuza entered the room. He looked to Haku. "I take it she's healthy?" Haku nodded. "Physically, at least." Sakura glared at the man, and he chuckled. "Stoppit, girl. Haku could put out more KI before he was eight." She didn't waver. Still smirking, he said, "I'll bet Gato is just gonna love you." Noting Sakura's reaction, he continued. "See, you're gonna be his new plaything, unless you do as I say." Sakura narrowed her eyes. "I'm not telling you anything about the Hidden Leaf!" Zabuza laughed. "No, child, I'm not after information. What I want is a little bit... trickier. You see, I've gotten wind that Gato plans to betray me. So, I'm going to strike first. That's where you come in."

Sakura growled. "What makes you think I'll do anything for you, after what you did to Kurenai-sensei?" Zabuza shook his head. "You're telling me you'd rather be raped than take a life?" Sakura's eyes widened, and Zabuza continued. "Yeah, that's right. Either you kill him, or he'll make you wish you were dead." In her mind, Inner Sakura was inventing new expletives in her fury. Biting her lip, she thought about her home. Sure, they'd send search parties, but would anyone actually care? There was nothing for her in that village, but heartbreak. Quickly, she made a decision. "I'll do it, but I'd like to ask something in return." Zabuza raised an eyebrow (he has them!). Suddenly, he laughed. "Cheeky little brat, aren't you? What is it, then?" She looked up at him, a new fire burning in her eyes. "Train me."

* * *

Near the beginning of this chapter, an Idea struck me: What if Sakura filled (canon) Sasuke's role? This is the result.

As always, please R&R. Also, let me know whether you think it would be better as a spin-off.


	6. Wind and Fire, Ice and Earth

Scars of the Past

Chapter 6: Fire and Wind, Ice and Earth

Well, here comes another one. I still haven't decided on whether or not to separate Sakura's story, so any feedback on that matter is still greatly appreciated.

As usual I don't own Naruto or Bobobo bo Bobobo (Just kidding! XD)

* * *

Sakura shivered nervously as she was lead into Gato's compound. It didn't take much effort to look scared, even with a Transormation on; If she screwed this up... death would be very welcome. Still, she mused, if she succeeded, she'd become much more powerful than if she'd stayed in the Leaf; without Naruto, there was no reason for her to stay, anyway. She tensed, as Gato's guards led her into his office, and shut the door. An audible 'click' told her that they'd locked the door. Gato was looking out a window, and he smirked. "So, Zabuza thinks he can appease me with slaves. Hah!" He shook his head. "No matter. He's probably dead by now." Sakura's eyes widened, and Gato smiled sadistically. "You should be thanking me. After all, he is the one who captured you." He turned to Sakura, a lecherous grin on his face. "And now, here we are. Don't try to resist; it'l only end worse for you... On second thought, please do." His grin turned vicious. "I do enjoy the screaming." Sakura dropped the transformation, startling Gato to no end. "Wh-What!? A kid? That bastard! He sent me-" He stopped, as he felt the cold metal of a kunai entering his throat. Sakura whispered, "Your death."

Almost as soon as she said it, a giant spike of ice thrust its way through the door, and Haku rushed in, his expression furious. Disappointedly, he noted that Gato was already dead. He looked to Sakura. The pinkette's eyes were wide. "Is Zabuza...?" Haku shook his head. "No, but he will be, if we don't get to him soon. He told me to pick you up first, though." Sakura nodded. "Alright, I'm right behind you." Haku shook his head. "I have a quicker method." Before she could react, Haku scooped Sakura up, creating an ice mirror, and leapt through it.

5 seconds later...

Zabuza looked up at his student, his breath rasping in his throat. "Damn hunter-nin..." Haku bent down to him, his expression worried. "Zabuza-sama, save your strength. We need to get you to-" He was cut off as Zabuza raised his hand. "It's too late for me, kid." Haku's eyes began to water, his tears freezing on his cheeks as his emotions went haywire. Zabuza sighed. "Listen to me, boy. I want you to gather as many followers as you can. Grow strong, and kill that bastard of a Mizukage..." He coughed, blood dribbling from his lips. "Don't let it be said that we don't stick to our word." He looked to Sakura. "Gato is dead?" Sakura nodded. He sighed. "Good. He grabbed their hands, bringing them together. "Grow strong together..." He looked like he was going to say something else, but a kunai hurtled out of a nearby bush, silencing him. A ninja with the Hidden Mist symbol engraved on his mask emerged, smirking. "Finally! I was starting to think we'd never kill that old bastard!" Haku's eyes hardened. "Sakura? Get away. Now. I will avenge my master's death." Sakura nodded, leaping away into the forest.

The hunter-nin smirked. The reports hadn't mentioned that Zabuza had a sidekick, let alone two, but he was confident that he could handle them. The pink-haired one had almost no chakra, and if he had to guess, he would say that the one he now faced was somewhere around chuunin level. Smirking, he made a fatal mistake. Seeking to unnerve the effeminate shinobi, he shun-shin'ed behind Haku, prepared to slit his throat. He readied his kunai to strike, and then... Haku exploded. Ice spikes grew in all directions from his skin, goring the hunter-nin, and killing him instantly. Quickly, the ice spikes melted, and Haku stepped away from the carnage. Performing a few quick handsigns, he cast a minor Fire jutsu, burning the Hunter-nin until there was nothing left. Turning to Zabuza, he began performing handsigns again. Water left over from the ice spikes formed around Zabuza, sinking into the earth. As the displaced earth settled over his former master, Haku whispered, "Rest in peace, Zabuza-sama."

Sakura came out from the trees, looking at the mutilated corpse with some disgust.

"Sakura, we are leaving," Haku spoke in a voice of strained calmness. Sakura immediately nodded. Moving to his side, she instinctively reached up a hand to his wet face to try to comfort him. He stiffened at the intimate contact for a moment, then relaxed slightly as she cupped his face in her hand and moved closer. "Is it normal?" He whispered, choking slightly towards the end. Seeing her uncomprehending look, he elaborated, "to hurt like this?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I've never seen someone close to me die, so I can't really say for sure. But I imagine it is." He looked up at her green eyes, not quite as innocent as when they'd first met, but still full of kindness. He moved forward slowly, as though seeking permission, and she calmly embraced him and let him cry on her shoulder. He got out all his emotions right there, all the sadness he'd experienced since killing his father. He let it all out, and Sakura held him the entire time. As he finally calmed down, he came to a decision.

"I will never let anyone I care about die. Never," he declared. A new fire ignited in the ice-user's eyes. "Come, Sakura. We have some training to get started on."

Meanwhile, back in the Hidden Leaf...

Kiba and Shino stumbled into the village, exhausted. They'd been running full-speed. Breathlessly, Kiba tried to walk over to a gate guard, only to collapse, finally succumbing to the strain he'd put on his body. Shino managed to gasp out, "Hokage-sama..." before he, too, collapsed. The two chuunin wasted no time, each creating an earth clone, and sending them to the tower, each with a genin on its back.

Sarutobi frowned. It was at times like this that he truly wondered why he'd come out of retirement in the first place. As soon as he'd seen the two genin being escorted to his office, unconscious, he'd sent for the medics. Once they'd been revived, they told him everything. While it's true, he'd seen worse on the battlefield, he always hated young genin look so... desolate. He sighed, and motioned for the ANBU that watched over him to get a jonin squad together to investigate, and hopefully recover Sakura. As for the two boys... He steepled his fingers. "I know that you're probably intent on going to rescue Sakura yourselves. That is not going to happen." Kiba's eyes were wide with indignation. "What! But-" He was cut off.

"No! You two will stay here." Kiba bowed his head submissively. "Yes, Hokage-sama." Hiruzen's face softened. "Do not worry. I have ordered a squad of jonin to retrieve her. She will be returned." The silent 'if she's alive' hung in the air, unsaid. Sarutobi sighed again, and let out a puff of smoke. "I am giving you one month's leave, for you to recover, and for me to find you a sensei. I know that your feelings for Kurenai-sensei were strong, but your training cannot, and will not, be neglected." Shino nodded. "I understand, Hokage-sama." Kiba didn't look happy about it, but he nodded as well. Sarutobi dismissed them. "Go, now. Be with your family; I am sure that they can help you in ways that I cannot." Silently, the two morose genin left his office, making him feel older than ever before. "Rest in peace, Kurenai-san..."

Tsume looked up, startled. Kiba wasn't supposed to be back for a week! Sniffing carefully, she smelt... Grief. Raw, unadulterated grief. She sighed. Despite her tough appearance, she cared for her kids; She'd hoped that something like this would never happen, but... Such is the life of a ninja. She knew she'd have her hands full in the next few weeks, keeping him from wallowing in his sorrow. She opened the door, and caught him in her arms, embracing him. "Who was it?" He sniffed. "Kurenai-sensei got beheaded." Her eyes widened. Now wonder he was so distraught. Seeing your sensei die like that... She could tell, though, that he hadn't told her everything yet. "That's not it, is it?" Kiba shook his head. "They captured Sakura." Tsume sighed. "And Shino?" His face became grave. "No, he made it back too. Hokage-sama said he was sending a team of jonin after Sakura, but..." She nodded understandingly. "You're just not strong enough yet." He sat down, running his hand through his hair. When he looked up, Tsume could see a new determination burning in his eyes. "Not for long." Tsume smiled approvingly.

Shino hesitated, before entering the clan compound. "I am home." His father raised an eyebrow. "What has facilitated your early return?" Shino's face remained impassive. "Our client was killed, our sensei decapitated, and our teammate, Sakura, captured." His father shook his head. "That is... most regrettable." Shino nodded. "Father, I wish to access our clan's technique library." Shibi nodded. "Very well. Come this way." Without another word, father and son descended into their clan library. Performing a few quick handsigns, and whispering his name to the door, it opened, revealing shelf upon shelf of jutsu. "Remember son, return the scrolls to their proper place when you are finished." Shino bowed. "I will, father."

Yugito smiled confidently at Naruto. For their first date, they'd decided on something they both enjoyed: sparring. "So," she said, as she roundhoused him in the chest, driving him back with an audible 'oof', "You're not holding back on me, are you?" Naruto grinned, before vanishing with a 'poof'. Yugito's grin became feral. "Good." She leapt back over Naruto's head, interrupting his efforts to tackle her from behind. Quickly, he rolled, coming up with a kunai in his hand. He smirked right back at her. "Now, why would you say that, Yugito-chan?" She did a series of acrobatic flips up into the trees, intending to get him with a flying drop-kick; However, he simply stepped back, and she sank into the earth, a miniature Dark Swamp encasing her, before hardening into stone. He looked down at her. "What was it you said about holding back, Yugito-chan?" The clone in front of him smirked, before dissolving in a flash of lightning, paralyzing Naruto. Yugito leapt lightly from a tree branch, smirking. "Nothing, Naruto-kun. Absolutely nothing."

He attempted to smile, his face still partially paralyzed from the Lightning Clone. It was more of a grimace, and Yugito couldn't help but giggle at his pained expression. Still giggling, she began to drag him out of the forest. "Hey! Where are you taking me?" She grinned. "I found a sushi place a while back, and we are going to go and try it out." He tried to cross his arms, but failed miserably, his arms flopping uselessly beside him. "Why can't we have ramen?" She picked him up, and using her chakra to augment her strength, she held him up by the shoulders in front of her. "Because, although ramen is your favorite food, and I can respect that, I'm sick of eating it." He pouted. "B-but... my ramen..." She narrowed her eyes. "We're going to the sushi place." Wisely, he shut up.

Naruto found himself to be actually enjoying the sushi place; It wasn't so much the food itself -although, that was good too-, but the fact that he was eating with his girlfriend. He rolled the word around in his head a few times, just to get used to it. He could tell by the way she ate that she was enjoying herself as well. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. Slowly, they leaned towards each other... and kissed. Naruto felt like there were fireworks going off in his brain, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. After a minute or two, they broke apart, panting. Naruto looked into Yugito's eyes, a gentle smile on his face. "I love you." She blushed. "And I love you."

Sasuke bit his lip nervously, and then knocked on the gate to the Hyuuga compound. A voice called out from behind the gate. "What is your business here, Uchiha-san?" Sasuke hesitated, then said, "I'm here to see Hinata." He heard the faint sound of the guard's footsteps, and then, a minute later, he heard them return. "Very well. You may enter." He shifted the rose he'd bought back to his right hand, and went through the gate. One of the guardsmen closed it behind him, while the other began walking further into the compound. "This way, please." Silently, Sasuke followed him. The man stopped in front of what Sasuke assumed to be Hinata's door, and knocked on it gently. "Hinata-sama, I have brought your guest." Hinata's voice squeaked out from behind the door. "Thank you, Ko-san. You may leave." The door opened, and Hinata gave Sasuke a nervous smile. He held out the rose he'd bought for her, and her face lit up. She hugged him, then turned red from embarassment. Before she could withdraw in panic, he wrapped his arms around her, comforting her with his warmth.

They hung out for the rest of the day, not talking about much, but enjoying each other's company immensely. The hours flew by, and soon, it was time for him to go. As he was leaving the room, he turned around. "I... I had fun. It's nice to hang out like this." She smiled at him, and they both blushed. Quickly, before she could react, he drew her in close, and kissed her. She turned beet-red, and fainted. Chuckling good-naturedly, Sasuke picked her up, and set her on her bed gently. "Good night, Hinata-chan..." She smiled in her sleep, and he quietly left the room, shutting the door. He turned around to leave... only to find himself standing face-to-face with Hiashi Hyuuga. The clan leader's arms were crossed, and his face stern. Sasuke began to sweat. "Your conduct so far has been exemplary, but should you hurt my daughter... _bad_ things will happen. Am I understood?" Sasuke nodded quickly. "Perfectly, sir." Hiashi inclined his head. "Good." Sasuke left quickly, glad to be alive.

Back in his study, Hiashi chuckled. He hadn't had that much fun since he last took a genin team.

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The last bit of this chapter wasn't written in the best quality, in my opinion, but it's kinda hard to fit that much fluff into one chapter... *shrugs*

As always, please R&R.


	7. Connections

Scars of the Past

Chapter 7: Connections

Sorry for the slow pace of updates... Inspiration for this kinda ran out midway through the chapter.

The only characters I own are Aikuro, Chasshokume, Akemi, and Bob.

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Sasuke slipped lightly down the stairs, his face aglow. He sat at the breakfast table with Naruto and Yugito, both of whom had similar expressions on their faces. Sasuke poured himself some cereal, just as Anko came down, rubbing her eyes. Noticing the looks on her wards' faces, she groaned. "Alright, who got laid?" Sasuke and Yugito choked, spraying milk all over the table. Naruto death-glared at Anko, who was now on the floor laughing. "Perfect! Just what I need to start my day!" Yugito wiped herself hurriedly, attempting to maintain some sort of dignity, and failing miserably. Sasuke blew his nose, trying to get the last of the milk out. Naruto sighed, facepalming. Anko eyed him suspiciously, and he rolled his eyes. "Come on! My sensei is the Pervy Sage. You honestly expect something like that to affect me?" Anko frowned, picked up a box labeled 'tools for castration', and leapt out the window.

Yugito looked over at Naruto, fighting a grin. "You know, Naruto-kun, that wasn't very nice." Naruto shrugged. "Considering his 'research' habits, he probably deserves it. Besides, he's one of the legendary Sannin. I doubt she'll manage to do much serious damage." Yugito's eyes widened. "You call one of the Infamous Three 'Pervy Sage'?!" Naruto laughed. "If you'd ever met the man, I'm sure you'd agree with me." Yugito facepalmed. They both turned to the door as they heard a 'thunk'. Naruto yawned. "The mail must be here. Odd, we don't get mail all that often..."

Naruto opened the door, grabbing a letter attached to the kunai that had been thrown into his doorframe. He handed the letter to Yugito, who opened it. "It's a summons for my examination this afternoon. It's at 1." Naruto wrapped his arms around her. "You want me to come? I'm still on leave." Yugito nodded. "That would be great, Naruto-kun." They kissed, and headed to the training grounds for more sparring. Sasuke sighed. "I swear, when those two are together, it's almost like I'm invisible..." He thought about the time he'd spent with Hinata, and smiled. "Then again, I can't really blame them..." He leapt out of the window as well, headed for the Hyuuga clan compound.

Sasuke knocked on the main gate, and Neji answered. "Welcome, Uchiha-san. We've been expecting you." Sasuke smiled nervously. Neji continued, his expression stoic. "This way." Neji set off, with Sasuke following close behind. After a few turns, he frowned. This wasn't the path he'd taken yesterday... Neji, possibly sensing his discomfort, smirked. They continued through what Sasuke assumed to be the family training grounds, and he saw Hiashi tearing into a practice dummy, ripping it to shreds with just his chakra. Sasuke gulped. Hiashi finished by thrusting his palm forward, blasting a large hole through the dummy's crotch. Sasuke paled, and he began to sweat. Eventually, Neji led him to Hinata's room, and he bowed slightly. "Hiashi-sama has asked me to remind you of his earlier words." Sasuke nodded quickly. "Of course."

As he walked down the hallway, it took all of Neji's self-control not to laugh. A bastard Hiashi may be, but even he couldn't deny that the older man had an excellent sense of humor.

Yugito and Naruto walked hand-in-hand through the training fields, not paying any particular attention to their surroundings. Unknown to them, six pairs of eyes narrowed.

"Chasshokume! Stoppit!" Two girls were restraining the third in a tree, above the unsuspecting couple. The fiery brunette glared at them. "How could she! Our Naruto-kun with that hag!" The one on the right growled. "I know! I don't like it either, but we can't just charge in without a plan! We gotta strategize!" Chasshokume sat down, and crossed her arms. "Hmph. You're just scared, Aikuro." The blonde rolled her eyes. The third girl spoke up. "Girls! we have to work together! Remember what Namikaze-sama told us?"

Flashback:

Naruto tensed as he heard three sets of footsteps behind him. Quickly, he whirled around, only to find nothing there. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, he turned back around, not missing the rustling leaves that signaled his stalkers' approach. Before he could react, three girls came screaming out of a nearby tree, each intent on glomping him. Swiftly, he substituted himself with a log from a pile on the street-corner, labeled 'for substitutions'. The three fought over the 'right' to be near him, not even noticing that he wasn't there anymore. He shook his head sadly. "You know, you're never gonna get anywhere with that attitude. Why do you think our village emphasizes teamwork?" As one, they turned to face him, eyes shining. He sweatdropped, realizing that he'd inadvertantly encouraged them. 'Craaaap...' For the next hour or so, panicked yelps could be heard throughout the village, as Naruto attempted to escape his stalkers, and they attempted to capture him.

End Flashback

The raven-haired kunoichi wiped a small trail of blood from her nose. "We got sooo close..." Aikuro reached over and smacked her upside the head. "Snap out of it, Akemi! They'll get away!" With hardly a sound, the three jumped off of their branches, shadowing the unsuspecting couple. In a nearby tree, Yugito narrowed her eyes. No one was gonna call _her_ a hag and get away with it. She chuckled evilly.

Simultaneously, the trio of stalkers shivered.

Sakura panted as she went through the kata Haku had taught her for what seemed like the millionth time that morning. The Hyouton prodigy watched from the sidelines, his expression outwardly impassive. On the inside, however, he was worried. He had no problem with someone who dedicated themselves to their training so extensively; The problem was, he could see that there was something quite clearly wrong with his student. He'd caught flashes of a desolate look on her face, when she thought he wasn't looking. Sighing, he moved forward. "Sakura, stop. What troubles you?" She shook her head. "It's nothing, sensei." He frowned. "Sakura. Please don't insult my intelligence. What. Is. Wrong?"

Her eyes clouded over, and she sank to her knees. "I just... Don't know how to feel. On the one hand, Kurenai-sensei is dead, and if my teammates find out that I went missing-nin..." She shuddered. "On the other hand, I have you now, and I'm getting stronger than I ever would've been. I have a purpose now..." She rested her forehead on her knees. "I'm just... so confused..." Haku nodded, and put his arm around the girl. "I know how it feels, believe me. Trust me, you'll get past this. I did." She sniffed. "But... you're so much stronger than me!" His eyes hardened. "Alright, stop it. I know what you're feeling right now, but that's no excuse to wallow in self-pity." She gave a small sob. "How could you understand?" Haku stood up suddenly, startling her.

"How could I understand!? You ask me how I could understand? Do you know what it's like to be hunted just for a quirk in your genes? Tell me, do you know what it's like, to kill your own father, because he was out for your blood?" Sakura stared at him, wide-eyed. Turning around sharply, Haku stormed off into the forest. Sakura leaned against a tree. '_Did he really kill his own father? Of course! The Mist bloodline purges! I wonder what his kekkei genkai is...?'_ She shook her head. "Whatever it may be... I've gotta find a way to apologize..." Determined, she set off into the woods to gather some herbs; She knew that Haku was a vegetarian, so it would be difficult to prepare something that he liked, but she had to do _something_...

The three kunoichi whimpered pitifully. They'd been stalking what they thought were Yugito and Naruto, but were actually a lightning and a shadow clone, respectively. Suddenly, there had been a blur of motion, and they'd been knocked out. When they came to, each was hanging from a Hokage's nostril, clad in nothing but their underwear. All the Hokage save for the Third now sported a wiggling, flesh-colored booger. It was quite a sight to behold.

Sarutobi looked out his window, and sighed. "I am getting _way_ too old for this shit." He reached over and bopped a shadowclone whom he was sure had been about to shout 'Then hurry up and make me your successor, old man!' He sighed again. "Come in, please." Inoichi Yamanaka opened the door, followed by Naruto and Yugito. Sarutobi rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Do I even want to know why you strung up three kunoichi from my predecessors' nostrils?" Yugito shrugged. "They were fangirls, and they were trying to mess with my Naruto." The Third raised an eyebrow, but decided to drop it. "In any case, I believe it is time for your evaluation, Nii-san." Naruto snickered(1), but a glare from his girlfriend shut him up. She sat down, and Inoichi put his hand on her head, concentrating.

In Yugito's mindscape...

Inoichi frowned as he traversed the girl's mindscape. He hadn't found any trace of deceit within her, but what he had found had been... disturbing... to say the least. He saaw flashes of her memories with her 'trainer', where she was forced to watch people killed in front of her. At the age of 6, she had been required to take a life herself, and she had been exposed to some of the most horrific things he'd ever seen, all in the name of creating the perfect tool. He had no doubt within him now, that her claim of befriending the Twotails was true; no one could possibly survive something like that alone, and still remain as sane as she was.

Closing his Third Eye, he retreated from her mind, and gave the Third a nod. He turned around to see Yugito fighting back tears, and Naruto attempting to comfort her. He bowed deeply to the girl. "I am truly sorry that that was necessary." She sniffed, and nodded. He left the room, his head spinning. He shuddered as he recalled a particular memory; Yugito's first kill... was her own mother.

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(1) Nii is Yugito's surname, but Nii-san also means 'older brother'. Hehe.

Sakura's part in this chapter was inspired by a few songs by LIGHTS, mostly 'Drive My Soul'. Hope you enjoyed it. :)


	8. Announcement

Announcement

Okay, I know that discourages author's notes as chapters, but I figure that this would reach more people than simply editing my profile - almost no one ever looks at those.

Anyway.

Recently, I've been faced with a dramatic decrease in free time. This translates into a good deal less attention to my stories, and so I am left with one option.

Adoption.

Yes, that's right. I'm keeping Partners, obviously, and maybe Scars, once I rewrite a couple parts in it, but anything else, I don't really have enough attention for.

However, I'm not just gonna give these away to the first guy (Or girl) who asks. To ensure that they find a good home, I'd like a message with the name of the story you'd like to adopt, as well as an example of your own work. I want to make sure that these ideas will get the time and attention they deserve, by an author who, at the very least, knows how to spell.


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